A Boy Named Troy
by a-yuri-who-loves-yaoi
Summary: Gord has been kicked out of Harrington House for his less than perfect behaviors with other boys, especially Jimmy. Now all he has left is a boyfriend with cold feet. Main coupling: JimmyXGord. Side story pairs: PeteyXGary, TrentXJimmy, and BifXDerby Completed at last!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters in this story, well so far at least.

**Author's Note: **This is the first fanfiction I have ever written. It is just so hard for me to keep other people's characters in character. I mean, like with my own characters it's like they're a part of me so I know exactly what they'd say or how they'd react in any situation. You know what I mean? I love writing, but, even though it's been my favorite hobby since kindergarten, I'm still learning grammar and spelling and everything. So, if you see a mistake more than once, be sure to let me know! :3 Oh, and I have no idea how to work this website so yeah. Right now I don't even know how to indent paragraphs on here.

**Warning: **This story will depict homosexual couples, but this chapter not so much. (that's a warning to yaoi haters and yaoi fans at the same time :3)

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter One

Gord was not pleased. Not that he was very often, but today it was more than just an improper greeting that was irritating him to no end. No, there was now a much more troublesome problem. Tad had informed him that Chad overheard Bif and Derby discussing a meeting that they wanted to hold. A meeting to which only Gord, Bif, and Derby were invited. It was the reason that he was now climbing a flight of brilliantly polished stairs rather than being groped by a certain stocky pauper.  
"Hello Bif." Gord snootily greeted as he entered the conservatory. "The grapevine said that Derby would be here by four. It is now four two; where is the king?" The shorter brunette prep would only dare criticize his leader in a separate room, even if it was just a petty stab at showing his annoyance.  
"You might not want to get on his bad side." Bif warned, casually running a well manicured hand through his fire hair. "He is _quite_ displeased with the behaviors of this clique lately."  
"Is that so?" Gord mumbled as he stiffly strolled to the very back of the plant filled room. He stopped at a large empty display, smirking slightly at the thought of what had happened nearly a year ago. Evidence still rotted away in his boyfriend's atrocious dorm room.  
"People have been talking about you." Bif drew back his attention, obviously wanting to counsel Gord of what Derby was upset about. Their champion fighter always did have a soft spot for those in his social group.  
"I _am_ well admired."  
"They are far from admiring you. Everyone seems to be caught up with your recent decision to-"  
As locked as Gord could make his legs and as straight as he could get his back, it would never be a match for the much practiced stride that belonged to young master Harrington. Today was no exception. Derby's powerful strides cut Bif off mid-sentence as he came into the hothouse. Although Derby was by no means one of the taller boys at their school, his walk alone propelled him to that of Damon's height. "Hello my good ol' chaps." He gaily greeted as he stopped next to his redheaded friend. "It is fortunate that our group is still tightly bound enough to get my unspoken messages delivered." Bif nodded and Gord lowered his eyes to the ground, pressing his back against the empty oak table as far as he could. "Ah yes," Derby started, identifying where Gord cowered. "I remember that highly expensive, highly exquisite specimen that Daddy bought me. What ever did happen to that?"  
They all knew, but Bif still answered. "Hopkins destroyed it."  
"Out of jealousy, correct?" Derby's eyes narrowed down on his victim.  
Without looking up, Gord summoned the courage to meekly reply, "I believe it was an errand."  
"Pish, I never said the feeling was his own. It doesn't even really matter now anyways, it was such a long time ago. I simply meant it as a lead-in to our topic."  
"I see."  
Nothing was spoken for a few moments. Gord nervously fiddled with his gold watch and Derby no doubt glowered. Bif soon realized that his leader had mentally lost his place. "You have been seen messing around with Jimmy." Taken aback by this, Gord's gaze soared up in time to see Derby's eyes widen in recognition.  
"That is no secret!" Shock had provided Gord with just enough bravery to raise his voice.  
"But he's a male." Derby nearly whined, disliking the thought of being associated with one of those people.  
Once again in the meek, Gord softly replied, "I've been out for weeks."  
"Even so, Hopkins is not in the same class as ourselves."  
"I'm good with that." Gord casually slipped; Hopkins really was having an impact on him. With the two stunned looks glaring at him, he quickly moved along, hoping to distract attention from horrible grammar. "I thought you liked Jimmy now."  
"A person that is able to manipulate through the cliques so ably is of high exploit to us, that I must admit. But the boy himself is so… what's the word?" He turned his head slightly to Bif.  
"Rough?"  
"Yes, that is it! Jimmy is as coarse as sandpaper and you know the only people that need sandpaper are paupers."  
"What about Lola?" Gord slowly asked.  
"What about that female grease bag?"  
"Both of you pressured me into being with her, and she is even further down the scale than James. Why was that right?"  
"Well…" Derby seemed to be trying to pull up a memory that was so old and not about himself.  
Bif helped. "That was only to bother Johnny."  
Again, there was an uneasy silence. Gord could not tell if he was gaining any grounds or not. Eventually, as a few boys made their way onto the stone balcony just outside the glass doors, Derby offered for them to go sit down in his room. It was not the first time Gord had seen the inside of Harrington's private chambers. In fact, they had all spent quite an amount of time in there. His dorm was actually made out of three separate rooms. A bathroom, bedroom, and sitting room, in which many of their holiday parties began in because of the bar.

Derby's décor was not in the regal color of ruby, as one might have thought. Nor was it the blue of their much adored Aquaberry sweaters. All of the wood, including the floors, wainscoting, bar, and large circular table with eight matching chairs, was dark cherry. Much of everything else was black. There were black silk drapes that flowed to the floor, a midnight colored chaise with dark silver pillows, and coal rugs. Derby said that black was the color of royalty in other countries, but to be honest, Gord thought the place seemed like a vampire's den.

"Gord?" The proud, arrogant, powerful blonde called. "Would you like some?" He stood behind the bar, pouring scotch into two short crystal glasses. Gord knew of what great quality the liquid was, but still had to decline. It would be a shame to become loose and let anymore of the new wordings he had picked up slip. "Well then," he continued, setting the glasses on the table as he sat down with Bif and Gord. The boxer picked one up and nodded his gratitude. "To be perfectly honest, your relationship with Hopkins is the least of my concerns with you. The other rumors are what have me bothered."

"Other rumors?" This surprised Gord slightly. Out of their clique, at least until the Lola incident, he had always been somewhat ignored. If you even looked at their group yearbook photos, he was always the one on the far right, forgotten about. People bothering to talk about him at all was eyebrow raising, let alone kids saying things to call the attention of Derby and Bif.

"Yes, your other relations." the redhead replied.

"I am not sure to what you are referring." Honestly, he had no idea! Being in the closed off space, with just the two of them, it was starting to really agitate him.

"Kirby? It has been said that you two were seen after a few games. Jocks really aren't the kinds of people we should be around."

"I've barely even spoken with him before!" Most wouldn't notice the change in the volume of his voice, but to Gord it felt like he had just screamed. His head was beginning to feel hot. "I mean, Kirby is too much of a closet case for my tastes."

Bif stated another piece of their evidence. "There are also reports of you being caught running off with a foul greaser."

"_Another _greaser?!" Derby looked appalled; he must not have registered it in his mind from when he and Bif were discussing this earlier.

"Yeah, one by the name of Vance or something like that."

"Vance!" Sweat was beginning to line Gord's hairline and he started to fidget. "What are you talking about?" Nervously, he let out some sort of pathetic chuckle. This time he knew exactly were people had gotten this fact. They used to mess around, sometimes, back when Jimmy was with Zoe. But that was a long time ago!

The richer two preps continued to drill Gord about whether or not he had been with a list of guys. _"This is not fair!" _he thought angrily to himself. Derby spoke about something. _"Most of this is completely made up!" _Now Bif talked, but Gord was too caught up in his own rapid thoughts. _"You aren't bothering any of the other man whores in our group. There are plenty of them, but they go for breasts. That's it, isn't it?!" _More fake accents. _"You know, people accuse you two also!" _

"Gord are you even listening? You must right these wrongs! Tell the public that you have not done anything of these acts, even if it would be a lie." Derby finished off the rest of his glass's contents.

That straw broke the camel's back. Nerves were mixed with heat that seemed to swell the room along with exasperation that they had basically said his lifestyle was wrong. "Then you should also correct them." he mumbled this, but the rich had excellent hearing.

"What does that mean?" Bif questioned with hostility in his voice.

"Everyone assumes things about the two of you, just like me and apparently every male in the area."

Bif's face actually turned a shade close to his hair color, leaving only Derby able to speak. "That makes no sense." He had not lost his demeanor, not yet at least.

"Sure they do!" Gord was now actually quite loud to anyone's ears. "You changed your schedules to match each other's, at parties you always leave together, and we've all noticed that Bif stays with in your room way more than Pinky does."

The rest of their conversation was blurred from that point on. Gord only knew two things: Derby had lost face and begun to shout (his bark was far worse than anyone's bite), and he was now officially booted out of Harrington House. He had until the end of the weekend that had just started to remove his belongings.

Gord was not sure how he felt. Obvious choices were fury, distress, and regret. Yet, he calmly left the upper-class dormitory and glided past the school gates. All he wanted now was to see Jimmy.

He knew Hopkins wasn't one to stay on school grounds after the final bell, but Gord still did not expect to set sights on him so soon. Jimmy was just leaving the Yum Yum Market as Gord was taking his first steps into Old Vale. Several plastic bags of chips and liters of soda were cradled in his arms. "Hey Jim! Hey!" Gord called and jogged towards him.

Jimmy stopped and lazily turned towards him. "Oh, wha's up?"

"I do hope that you're not going to eat all of those by yourself." His stocky boyfriend rolled his eyes at that. "I had the most occurrence just now!" Jimmy began to move again, this time Gord keeping up with the slow pace.

"Yeah?"

"Yes." Gord replied brightly, noticing that they were headed towards the beach house.

"What am I supposed to do about it?"

Gord scoffed. "You're supposed to listen, that is what boyfriends do!"

"For the last time, I'm not your boyfriend."

"Of course you are." He shrugged Jimmy off. Hopkins just heaved an exasperated sigh and remained quiet until they walked up to the rotting door of Jimmy's room. Gord didn't mind that Jim always played so hard to get. The way he saw it, if Hopkins did not want to be with him, he would argue more against it. He also wouldn't do those things in private either.

Gord followed Jimmy in, complaining that he had not picked up at all since he had won the room. That is until he noticed the new addition. "Jim, what's that boy doing on our bed?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the game Bully or any of its characters. *insert lame joke about wanting to here*

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry if I add too much in these notes. I always like reading them in other's stories, so I thought I'd make my own. Anyways, right now in my story everything is really boring and there's very little contact between the characters. I'm still getting used to not writing in first person, so it's sort of hard for me to get the point across about who's view the chapter is in. I promise that things will pick up.

**EvilChick101: **Thank you so much for the sweet review! You're my first reviewer ever (and this is my first fic, so that makes it that much better). It was pretty awesome to read one after only one day of my story being on here. :3

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Two

Jimmy had always been impulsive. It was what caused him to say his name was Jimmy, not Jim or James, back in second grade, and also caused him to be kicked out of every school but Bullworth. Yet another result was him spilling all that mushy crap to Zoe.

Maybe if the great Hopkins was only rash things would work out better. But nope, the best thing was never the case. Jimmy would do things, take his name for example, and would later regret to his very core that he demanded he be called a name that would forever install the image of a small dorky kid into people's minds. People told him that he always got cold feet. That's what Zoe said, right before she dumped his ass for a greaser. A real man that would never change his mind.

Now what was left was a mess of what used to be Jimmy Hopkins. Jim avoided making any decisions he didn't have to, afraid that he would pick wrong again. Kids started to notice the change in their King that summer, after he was single again. They wouldn't dare say anything within earshot of him though; he may have been wary of making big choices in his own life, but that didn't mean he wouldn't still kick your ass.

The first thing that came to Jimmy's mind was to scoff and so he did (not every ounce of impulsiveness could be sucked out of him). "_Our_ bed? I believe _I _won this room when _I _beat your pansy assed clique last year." He left Gord standing by the door and joined the kid on the bed, dropping the snacks from his arms. Pop loudly crushed the chips.

"That is not the point!" The preppie argued in a whiny tone, making Jimmy cringe, embarrassed to be seen with such a pathetic excuse for a man, even if only by a young kid. "You're not into children, are you?!"

"You're an idiot." He ripped open a red and orange bag of chips that were apparently so spicy 'they make the sun look like Antarctica!' After bringing a few of the square chips to his own mouth, he offered the bag to the kid. The boy only took one and slowly ate it with small bites.

Gord pressed on impatiently. "Then who is he?"

"I dunno, a new kid this year. Saw him a few times and decided to take him under my wing, you know, so there's someone to keep the cliques playing nice when I'm gone."

"That's your protégé?!" the rich brunette sputtered, openly gaping.

"My wha?"

"You cannot seriously choose him!"

Jimmy was becoming irritated. "Why not?"

"Just look at it!"

During the entire time the two older boys were going back and forth, the short third grader kept quite, occasionally munching chips. Jimmy was now standing, trying to stare down his slightly taller wealthy friend. A glance back at the kid told him that the boy had not moved from his hunched position in the middle of the dirty mattress. His pale legs were tucked under him, navy shorts pushed up a little past his knees. Jimmy couldn't see what Gord was talking about. The kid seemed normal enough, a little scrawny but normal. He had blonde hair that went to the top of his ears. Even at a young age, a couple of pimples could be seen growing on his forehead and cheeks. Jimmy just thought that was probably from not being very clean; the kid seemed kind of greasy and had a minor stench. It wasn't his fault though; from the very _very _few conversations they had shared, Jimmy had learned that the boy basically raised himself while his mom was out.

"I don't see anything wrong with him. Kinda reminds me of himself." Jimmy announced, feeling strangely proud of the kid.

"Is that why you chose him?" Gord asked with a slight sigh. He was giving up his argument against the decision. Hopkins slowly walked over to his poker table that was missing all chips and most cards. He grabbed a chair and tottered back, putting it down near Gord, facing the bed.

"Nah, I felt bad for the little thing." The protector of the school noticed the strange look that Gord gave the kid as he sat straightly into the chair. Jimmy also settled back down on the corner of the mattress. "Few days ago, I caught Pedro picking on him. Pedro!"

"So you brought him here?"

"Thought he could stay here until he toughens up enough to be on his own in the dorms." For some reason, Gord looked upset at that. "Says he likes the beach." he explained, trying not to get the prep worked up.

There was a long pause in conversation. "Does he have a name?"

"I call him Troy." This really seemed to stab a splinter in Gord. The preppie did classless move of openly pulling his eyebrows downwards in a tight glare. Quickly, Jimmy threw in, "I thought it fit him when I picked it out."

"Jimmy!" A shiny nailed hand came down forcefully on Hopkins' ratty jeaned knee. "You cannot simply rename a person!"

"Why not! His real name's lame as hell." he laughed at it. "Lawford! Who calls their kid that?"

"I like that name."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Of course _you _do, but he doesn't have the cash to back it up."

It wasn't 'til nearly half an hour later before Troy finally spoke. Jimmy was busy behind the bar, storing the pop in the mini-fridge. He had left Gord and the kid on the other side of the room, in awkward silence. Stiffly, like a dried up corpse, Gord was sitting, straightening wrinkles on his pants that didn't exist. Troy now had his legs dangling over the side on the bed. He was wearing an oversized Bullworth sweater vest. "You know, you could actually try talking to him, Gord." Jimmy called over his shoulder, casually throwing something that was once food into the corner of the room, to make room for the dark colas.

"Hello…Troy." He seemed to not even want to say the name. "My name is Gord. I am Jimmy's boyfriend."

Instantly, Jimmy paled and tightened his muscles. He shot up from off the cluttered ground where he'd been kneeling, grabbing the top of the decaying bar to steady himself. "No I'm not!" Denying was easy. It was so easy that it had become a natural reaction to Jimmy. You see, going out with Gord would be one of those big personal decisions that he hated so much. Most of him didn't want to be tied down to the prep, but it'd be hard to say that not all of him was completely against it. But for now, he was content with the little routine they were doing.

"Yes, you are." Gord calmly corrected. Jimmy kicked the dirty refrigerator door close and stumbled through the mess back to the other two.

"No." He muttered under his breath once he got next to the preppie.

Gord smirked, "I believe you are."

"Then you're wrong"

An airy voice, much unusual for a boy, interrupted the 'couples' bickering. "Gord?"

The rich teen had risen off the chair. Troy had caught him just before retorting, leaving Gord to glance down with his mouth unbecomingly open.

"Y-Yes?"

"I don't like you very much."

Jimmy hooted madly, actually having to wipe a tear away from his eye. "God I love that kid!" Troy shyly laughed with his protector, more for imitation than anything else.

"You're going to let him get away from that?!"

"Get over yourself!" Jimmy looped an arm around Gord's shoulders and crushed the prep into his body. Suddenly, Gord didn't seem to mind being treated badly by a mere pauper.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **What if I started a ruuumor about me owning this game?

**Author's Notes: **I hope nobody minds too much that I write little thank you messages to reviewers. I'd feel bad if I didn't. ;-;

* * *

**EvilChick101: **Ohhhhmiigoshness, you reviewed twice! That makes me smile! And you even said I was funny! Thanks!

**AmishGazebo: **I also love Jimmy and Gord together! In fact, Gord goes great with everyone, especially Vance. Thanks for the review!

**And thank you to any of you reading this story! :3**

* * *

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Three

Outside it was already growing dim, autumn sun leaving earlier and earlier each evening. It would soon be replaced by the moon, pauper's lighting. They had already gotten off the beach and were strolling near the end of the dark crisp tunnel. Gord intertwined his fingers through the much wider and stubbier Hopkins'. Jimmy shook his hand away and muttered "No." The prep settled on gripping his boyfriend by hooking one of his arms under Jimmy's and then holding his own gold band wearing hand. This was a position that James allowed in public and Gord actually liked it just fine. He loved the feel of the familiar warm body and tight muscles in Jimmy's sleeved arm. People often thought that Jim was fat, but, in truth, only his stomach area was not very flat. How could a person go around thrashing people all day and running from prefects without developing tone arms and legs?

At that moment, Gord was near perfect content. So close in fact, that he did not even mind that there was a small boy toddling along his boyfriend's other side. They were on their way to the carnival, a place that, despite it being mercilessly shabby, still held some childish wonders in the prep's eyes. The only thing that was slightly troublesome was the fact that he had still not informed Jimmy of his housing situation and then beg to stay at the beach house. As soon as the bright lights came into view though, all of his apprehensions melted away. Besides, could Jimmy really say no to someone in as much need as him?

"My delicious man taking me to the carnival, how magical is this?" Gord proudly commented as Jimmy paid a tattoo covered, middle-aged, woman in the stained ticket booth.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Jimmy snorted as he kicked open the gate. Gord dreamily thought back to how they had decided to come here. It was truly the stuff that movies were made out of…

_Jimmy checked his cheap digital watch and Gord made a mental note of what to buy him for Christmas. "Troy, we'd gotta go soon; it's getting late." The boy nodded and stood, a petite grin on his face._

"_Go where?" Gord asked and he was sure that Troy's smile turned to a smirk._

"_I'm takin' the kid to the fair. Thought it'd be nice to show him that not everything in this world is shit." Gord's face fell. "You wanna tag along?"_

"_You are taking that boy to the carnival? But you've never taken me there, and it's the most romantic place for a date." Jimmy laughed at that, but Gord did not know it was because he was picturing midgets and people vomiting._

"_I asked if you wanted to come."_

"_You are asking me to the fair? As in a date?" He smiled, knowing that Jimmy probably would not bother to argue._

_Jimmy heaved a hefty sigh. "Yes."_

"_Why, I do not know what to say." _

_Jimmy pushed Troy towards the door. "We're leaving."_

"_Coming!"_

Gord abruptly looked around. While he had been revisiting one of the happiest moments in his upper-class life, they had made it to the shooting range. Jimmy was helping Troy aim the gun. "Troy…" he scoffed to himself. He was standing at the other end of the game booth, so he was sure they would not be able to hear him over the chimes and dings of the carnival. "The names are even similar." The blonde hair, the poor skin, the name! Gord was not sure if he would be able to stand it or not; the kid was just too much like Trent.

Northwick had been Jimmy's rebound after Zoe. The strange thing about this was that he and the female townie only dated a few weeks, where as he and Trent were together the two months left of last school year and six weeks of summer. That was two weeks longer than Jimmy and himself had been together! Gord did not like Trent for a multitude of reasons. A) He claimed to have done things with Jimmy that the virgin Gord could not even imagine. B) Jimmy had not even tried to hide that he had something going on with the blonde bully. And finally, C) their breakup was not as official as Gord liked to think it had been

"Gord?" A strong hand was being crudely waved mere inches from his long nose. "Great, first you make me bring you here, and now you just spend the whole time zoning." Jimmy grumbled.

Gord shook himself back to reality. "Hmm? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, we're finished."

The prep quickly froze up, he could feel literally feel a pain in his chest. "What?!"

"The kid's done playing this game."

"Oh… oh!" Breath extinguished him and he smiled. "How did he do?"

"Amazing!" Hopkins answered with the pride of a parent. "He shot a 140; got two tickets! That's way better than I did on my first try. I did have a distraction though." he chuckled to himself, unaware that Gord had been told everything about that moldy old date from the Harrington harlot herself. He chose to bite his tongue though, this time.

"Well now what are we to do?" Even as he asked the question, he traced Jimmy's gaze to that of Troy's, who was mesmerized by the sight of the rides.

"Never again will I be a consumer for this cheap imitation of entertainment for paupers!" Gord snootily protested as he stumbled out of the battered car, taking precautions not to step on the fresh pile of vomit. He gave no care as to who heard him. The Grand Canyon rollercoaster had a limit of two to a seat and a rule that stated those not tall enough- Troy in other words- need to sit with someone who was of proper height. That left Gord being crushed into a car with an overweight nerd, while the little brat enjoyed the front with Jimmy. As soon as the ride came to a halt, the fat kid in the green sweater lost his meal all over the pavement, not even bothering to try making it to a garbage can or, at least, out of the car.

Gord could here Jimmy comment, "Pretty sick, huh?" The two had already made it out in front of the ride. As soon as he had made his way up to the pair, Troy just had to go and speak for once.

"Again?"

Jim beamed. "Why the hell not? Ready Gord?"

"I think I will have to pass." They had already gotten back in line at the ticket booth. Gord sighed to himself and found a bench to sit properly upon while he waited. As he did he let his mind wander for the umpteenth time that day.

A girl scampered along in front of him. Normally, no one would know her name, especially not someone of Gord's prosperity. Everyone at Bullworth now knew the name of Angie though.

It happened in the middle of the past summer. Jimmy was off somewhere with that one friend of his, the head boy. They left Trent behind at the much less crowded campus. Most kids were at home then for summer vacation, including Gord and the rest of his clique. Still the brute managed to bumble himself into the most trouble he had ever faced. A lanky girl named Angie was staying in her dorm for a week while her parents vacationed. Trent couldn't resist himself. He simply loved teasing girls (Gord had once made an educated guess that it had something to do with he himself jealous he had not been born female). Normally, the barbarian would have just yelled insults relentlessly at the poor girl, but she decided to stand up for herself. This, at first, confused Trent and then infuriated him. This is where the two players in this story split apart with their retellings. Trent stated that he grabbed her nose (for some kind of terribly strange badgering) and that she twisted her face away, thus snapping the cartilage. Angie's side was that he plainly punched her. Whatever had happened, there were two stable results. Her blood still stained a few blades of grass and Trent was at complete fault.

Trent was, of course, expelled. It happened rather quickly though. The blonde beast was banned from Bullworth grounds within the hour, told that he could never come back. Nobody is sure of where he went, at least none of the students. The ignoramus did not even bother to inform Jimmy of where he ended up and why. It was this event that left Gord's poor James scarred.

"Are you ready?" Jimmy asked, extending his hand out towards Gord. The two ended up on the same ride three more times and followed it up with a few spins on the Squid. By now even the great Hopkins was a little shaky. Nonetheless, he was still offering to help Gord stand, and this made the latter beam brilliantly. "We're gonna go to the freak show; every boy deserves to see the world's last mermaid." Jimmy announced as soon as Gord was on his feet. Troy grinned devilishly.

"I will assume that you mean that every boy deserves to see the world's last mermaid's floating chest." Oh well, Jimmy had not shaken off his hand yet.

"What if one wanted to have sex, but the other didn't?" Troy was surprisingly talkative when the subject came to filth. Gord was not sure if he believed the kid was only in grade three. Jimmy and the boy were staring at the Siamese twins, who were both trying to impress Gord. The two girls had excellent taste. Gord was just absentmindedly running his fingers through Jimmy's hair. Thank goodness he had finally convinced him to grow it out and keep it a dark shade of chocolate. Although, just to annoy the prep, Hopkins often styled it in a faux Mohawk, but anything was better than that ginger homemade haircut he once sported.

The rest of the evening went by rather quickly. Too quickly in Gord's opinion. Troy took a picture of starfish-covered breasts, Jimmy sat by Gord on the Ferris wheel, and they had all helped to earn enough tickets for a ridiculous hat that the kid wanted. By the time they'd gotten back to the beach house, it was too far past curfew to return to campus. Troy passed out right away, actually curling up on the poker table. _"At least the boy is somewhat courteous." _Gord happily thought as he imagined himself snuggling up to Jimmy on the pitiful excuse for a bed.

"Hey Gord?" Jimmy called as he drank soda straight from the large bottle.

"Mmm… What?" Gord, who was already spread out on the mattress, groggily replied.

"Didn't you say that something big happened today?" The sleep fled right out of Gord's mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bully or its characters.

**EvilChick101: **I'm happy you liked the last chapter. I love Gord too; he's fun to write. I'm sorry, but I think you'll be disappointed with this chapter. I sure am. Thanks for the review! :3

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Four

"James Hopkins, I **cannot** believe you just did that!" Gord bitched loudly, wiping at a few of the new brown spots on his teal Aquaberry sweater. He'd just finished telling Jimmy exactly everything that had happened earlier between him and his leaders, making the mistake of coming closer to the king as his story came to an end. Jimmy literally spewed out the dark bubbly liquid in his mouth.

Jimmy ignored Gord's complaints over his stupid shirt. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Good lord, this better not stain."

"Gord? This is just some lame joke?!"

"Aw, and I _just _bought this too."

"You're fucking kidding me!" This time, the words that loudly came out Jimmy's mouth were not asked. He was sick of the prep not listening to him.

Gord actually shook a little and whimpered as he finally answered Jimmy about what he was talking about. "W-What? Why would I joke about something such as that?" The guy made a good point. Frustrated, Jim pulled out a chair from the table, the one that his young friend was snoozing on, and slammed his body down on it. Man, the kid could sleep.

"Dammit Gord, why would you say something so stupid to the head of your clique? You preppies should know by now that you're the most hated group around. You should keep safety in numbers."

"Hey!" Gord started to claim back some of his whiny courage. "I was sticking up for you." he retorted, heading into the back where the bathroom was. From the corner of his eye, Jimmy could see him strip off his pop covered sweater. Soon enough he could hear the sink running. "And do not call me a preppie." Gord threw in as he returned, shirtless. Jimmy liked the sight, quite a bit. For a snob he was pretty toned, and his light olive-tone skin was much better than Jimmy's own, which was dead pale in winter and tanned strangely in the summer. Looking was something he wouldn't admit to though.

"Where's your shirt?" he coolly asked.

"I hung it up to dry on the shower door."

"Oh." Gord went back to sit on the bed, leaving Jimmy trying hard to concentrate about the situation at hand.

Finally, after learning that keeping his eyes shut kept his mind thinking, Jimmy had an idea. "Hey, why don't I just talk to Derby? The guy still sucks up to me like crazy."

Gord jumped up into a seated position, and bellyached, "That would be simply horrid."

Jimmy growled. So much for trying to help. "Why?"

"How would I be able to face anybody? I would look like a fool, needing my boyfriend to solve my problems for me."

Too tired to argue, he simply nodded in agreement. Those richies could be hell, and he'd never have to live with all of them. "Couldn't you just say you're sorry?" Gord just raised an eyebrow at that. "I already said Troy could stay here. Do you expect him to sleep on that thing every night?" It was no surprise when the prep just shrugged. "Can't you just stay in one of my other rooms? I've got that one in the comic store, and on the football field, and, uh, oh yeah there's that one in New Coventry that I barely use."

He replied with a snooty look, "Too nerdy, too sweaty, and do you really think I would survive one day living in the room you stole from the greasers?"

"Well then why the hell not just get a normal dorm room?"

"That would be impossible Jim!" The stouter one didn't have to ask why again before the prep explained. "I just do not have the money. Sure, I get a nice allowance from mummy, and yes I do make _some _green from betting, but it is not enough to pay for a dorm _and _go shopping."

"That's bullshit." Jimmy stated casually.

"Plus, I cannot let Daddy know that I have been booted from Harrington House. It brings him immense joy to know that his son lives there." Now Gord was beginning to beg, bringing a sly smile across a freckled face. "Please! You must let me stay here! I will do anything, even live with that little brat, just do not make me live in the common dorms."

Jimmy was beginning to give in. "You gotta get a mattress or something for Troy."

"Anything!" Gord rose to his feet.

"And you can't do anything weird with the kid. I've already got enough people suspicious at me 'bout it."

The prep nearly ran to Hopkins, basically leaping into his lap like a spoiled puppy. "I wouldn't dream of it!" Jimmy shifted around uncomfortably with the new weight on him; he didn't need Gord to know exactly how much influence he could hold over him. Their chests were pressed together as the natural brunette snaked his arms around Jimmy's shoulders and nuzzled his face into his neck. "Thank you so much." Gord whispered, making goose bumps spread over Hopkins' body as the slow movement of the prep's lips tickled the thin skin.

"No problem." was what he was going to try and say as normally as he could, but a mouth was crushed on his before he had the chance. It was probably one the only times he didn't mind being interrupted by Gord.

Another interruption came though, this time thoroughly pissing off Hopkins. Troy had still been asleep and Gord was nicely situation above him on the sturdy chair when the knock came on the door. "Ignore it." Jimmy quietly barked. The prep would have happily complied, had the knocker not opened the door and stepped in.

"Whoa Jim, I'm really sorry!" The intruder sounded as flustered as Jimmy felt, pushing Gord off of his lap. With nose in air, the prep sauntered back onto the bed, falling into it on his back.

"Hello…" Gord tried to greet their new guest, but clearly forgot his name. Jimmy was busy jumping to his feet and smoothing out his long grey shirt.

"It's Pete." The red-faced, pink-shirted, head boy filled in.

"Right." was the last thing that the rich kid said before turning childishly on his side, pouting.

"Petey, what do you want?" Jimmy asked, still clearly agitated.

"Sorry," Kowalski kept his gaze lowered, probably regretting the first rude thing he had ever done in his life. "I've been looking for you at all the usual spots, and I didn't even think that Gord would be over."

"Looking for me huh?" Jimmy made his way over behind the bar. There were a few dusty glasses that were left over from when the preppies ruled the place. He grabbed two and the half empty bottle he had been drinking from. When he rejoined his shy friend, he handed him some of the poured pop. "You know, it's way past curfew. I'm surprised you're out so late."

"Oh well, you know," he nervously took a sip. "I was attending to some business before I started looking. The head boy position allows me to come late."

"I'm sure it does." Before Pete could realize the joke, Jimmy went on. "So what's up?"

"I was wondering if you could go to Blue Skies with me next weekend, like Saturday…?"

"Why?" He was suspicious.

"Oh just, you know, to meet up with somebody."

"Who?"

"Nobody too important, just Gary wanted to see you and I told him that I'd bring you." Petey spoke quickly, hoping to escape his friend's ears.

"Wait- what? Gary? As in Gary Smith? As in Gary Smith who turned the whole school against me last year?!"

Pete waved his arms defensively. "B-But you're the king now Jimmy."

"That's right." he spit, hoping that Gord wouldn't hear it. "What's the creep doin' in Blue Skies?"

"Well no school would take him." Here Jimmy scoffed. "So he's stuck working at a factory over there. Please, he just wants to talk."

"Shouldn't he be at Happy Volts?"

"He was there for a few weeks, but they've got him all straightened out. He's taking his medicine now."

"So you've been seeing him?" He crossed his arms while he fished out a reason to be mad.

"Jim, don't do this to me." Pete begged, again making Jimmy smirk. "I've known Gary for a longer time than I've known you."

Hopkins noticed the breathing movements of his male friend on the bed slowing down, and decided to quickly get rid of the head boy. "Fine, I'll consider it."

"Really?!" He immediately brightened. "You mean it Jim?"

"Yeah, I guess I could be good with that." He started to usher Pete out towards the door.

"Hey, I didn't see that Troy was over here! How's he doing?"

"Fine, now get out." He grumbled, opening the door and grabbing the glass from his friend's hand.

"I'll see you later then."

"Bye."

Finally he had gotten Pete out and before Gord fell asleep and Troy woke up too. "Come back over here." he demanded, taking his seat again.

The prep sat up but only rubbed his eyes. "I'm tired."

At first disappointment stabbed at him, but then Jimmy yawned. "Meh, I suppose I am too." He joined the other on the mattress, stumbling a few times on the way. As soon as he was down Gord snuggled up real close, shivering slightly. _"Guess he never put his shirt back on. No wonder why Petey was so flustered."_ he thought to himself as he put an arm around the teen boy. "So all I have to do is show up somewhere and let you stay here; I guess that's not so bad."

"Well…" Gord carefully prodded.

Jimmy snarled, but sleep caused it to be less ferocious as it could have been. "What?"

"I need you to help me move my stuff, and tidy this pigsty up, and…" he quickly continued on. Jimmy rolled his eyes. So much for doing people favors this year too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bully or of its characters.

**Author's Note: **It seems to be taking me awhile to really get any kind of an interesting plot started in the story. Sorry! :3

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Five

Derby had made the order that all residents of Harrington House clear out that Saturday morning, but Bif didn't always listen to everything his blonde best friend said. He was perched on the wide stone railing of the balcony by the green house, just watching the trees loose the last of their red and orange leaves. He felt guilty about helping to kick Gord out of the private dorm, especially when he himself didn't even completely belong.

Derby thought that Gord would be there to pick up his belongings and did not want the other preps to associate with him, but he still was not there by early afternoon. The kid was punctual, so Bif just assumed that he had not swallowed enough of his pride to come back. Off in the distance three figures formed. Bif shrugged, it wasn't like the tall redhead was never wrong. He watched them come closer and closer. It appeared that they were so consumed with themselves that they didn't notice him, at least not Hopkins or Vendrome. The young student trailing them stared up at him with curiosity. Gord was wearing the same exact clothes that he wore the day before, was Jimmy really having that much of an effect on him?

"Lord, I cannot believe I am still in these! As soon as we arrive, I am going to change my attire." Apparently not.

"You don't seem to believe very much." James commented back and received a playful punch. Bif was surprised that they were so near that he could hear them and they still had not noticed him. He wasn't one for eavesdropping and was about to get down from his roost, when Gord jumped in front of his apparent boyfriend and smacked him hard in the shoulder with a tightly closed fist. This enticed Bif. "What the hell was that for?!"

Gord began to slightly hop from one foot to the other with two fists raised to his chest. "I have been boxing more lately, aren't you proud?" Even from the height distance, he could tell the prep was smiling widely.

Bif assumed that Jimmy would react badly. Hopkins did not seem to take much shit from anyone. "Boxing huh? I thought you said that fists were for Neanderthals and that you only bet." He somewhat lazily returned a swing, which Gord lightly caught with an open palm. "Yeah, I guess I am a little proud; you're better than you used to be."

"And I am even taller. You used to come up to my eyebrows." He joyfully laughed.

"Shut up!" This time Jimmy's fist came at a more rapid pace, seemingly catching an unexpecting Gord right in the stomach. Bif cringed; he had been there plenty of times. To keep from falling, the brunette grabbed his boyfriend's shoulder, while clutching his middle with a free arm. "God, I'm sorry. I thought you'd-" His apology was interrupted with a knee to the groin. Now both of them were grabbing at pains. The two of them began laughing, Jimmy snorting as he tried to say, "That was a good one!"

"Wha?" Bif quietly whispered aloud to himself. The couple below him seemed so… so happy, but they had just both hit each other and one below the belt! Jealousy stabbed at him and he stepped down onto the balcony's floor. Gord was lucky.

Bif didn't even attempt to contact the trio until an hour later. He kept busy by studying in his room, listening to the loud bangs and the occasional lewd shouts from Hopkins down the hall. It wasn't until they were out the main door, all carrying some of Gord's boxed belongings, that Bif jogged down to meet them. "Hello Vendrome, Hopkins." He casually greeted, as if it were a chance meeting.

"Oh," Gord's voice instantly deepened and his chest puffed out a little. It was a sad attempt to act big in front of Jimmy. "Good day to you Bif."

"So you really are moving out?"

"You would know."

An awkward silence took place for a few long seconds. Jimmy looked uncomfortable with the weight of the boxes in his arms, which seemed a lot more than the other's did. "So is that the famous Troy?"

This time James replied. "Famous?"

"I told you if you hang around with little kids people will quickly notice and assume some nasty things." Gord quietly sang out, though he had never mentioned anything along those lines out loud.

"People have been saying that you picked a protégé," Bif explained. "He looks like a good kid, but you shouldn't make him move Gord's things." The boxer plucked two shoe boxes out of his short arms and placed them at the top of Jimmy's pile. "His place will be above doing that." Troy smiled and Jimmy glared.

"If he's gonna be the new me, then why should I be lugging this crap around?"

"Because you're Gord's suitor, not the kid." Bif spoke along, before Jimmy had time to correct him. "You should let me take him out for ice-cream, maybe show him around Vale. I doubt you've taken the time to." James was going to rudely snap back, but then he remembered that he had never gotten around to it. Just like he'd never even shown the kid around the school grounds either. Bif walked off with Troy as Jimmy stood, wondering why he had never done those things. "I'll swing him back in an hour or so, when he's picked up a little class." The older prep called over his shoulder.

"Are you okay with being Hopkins' replacement?" Bif casually asked as they came in view of the new ice-cream parlor. Troy just shrugged. "Not a talker are you? Maybe that'll be for the better." Bif held the glass door open for the grade-schooler, not even receiving a thank you. He'd do just fine when he became king of Bullworth.

At first, Bif did not see him, but he did hear his unmistakably powerful voice. Derby was seated at a booth near the counter, Pinky across from him. The redhead bit down hard into his bottom lip as the blonde fed his cousin a spoonful of what appeared to be cookie dough. "Who's that?" Troy asked in a voice that was surprisingly light. He must have noticed that he had been staring at the couple, more noticeably the male. He was going to answer, but then he heard the voice of his proud leader again. Maybe he'd have to make eavesdropping his new hobby.

"I _do _hope that he moves out of my dorms today. I just cannot have that riffraff going on within the circle of people that others call my friends."

The tall girl absentmindedly pulled down her new Aquaberry miniskirt. They had just come in last Thursday. "I totally agree with you." she replied, sounding like something was caught in her throat. "I'm not sure if he's the only one that's that way though."

"What ever do you mean?"

She put the next spoonful of dairy treat into her mouth herself. (he knew it wouldn't be staying in her long.) "Don't you think that Bif's kinda weird?"

"Hmm…" he hummed wistfully, taking her words into consideration. The fact that he was even just doing that caused more pain in the one in question than anyone in the ring ever could. "Bif's my top man. I've never observed anything too outrageous. In fact," his speech began to quicken and he dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, to take a pause. "The guy adores me and adoration is one of the most important things that a king can receive from his serfs." Bif wrinkled his nose at that.

"I suppose, but maybe we ought to find a nice girl for him. I'm sick of kids saying my men are fairies."

"I've already made that suggestion to him before. The poor chap spends all his time studying or boxing, and has absolutely none left for a proper courtship."

Bif gritted his teeth and hissed "Thanks to you" under his breath. He felt a soft tug at his Aquaberry polo and glanced down.

The filthy boy, in his whisper of a voice, asked, "Can we get hamburgers?" To illustrate his reasoning (although Bif had a feeling the child understood that he wished to get the heck out of there) he shivered and rubbed his hands up and down his arms.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." They quietly backed out of the parlor and Bif felt eternally grateful that the door did not have a chiming system.

He ended up taking the kid to a shabby fast-food restaurant in Greaser territory. The leather jacketed grease balls usually left the tall, broad-shouldered, more-than-able-bodied boxer alone. He even had a non-prep minor with him, so there was no way that they would pick today to try and start something.

Tad, Derby, or any of the other preppies would not have dared to step a foot into the place. They would have complained that it was filth ridden or a pauper capital. It was a good thing then that Bif was a lot less like the rich kids than people knew.

"Will you be okay waiting here alone?" Bif asked the kid when they reached the clean steps of Harrington House. Troy now had a partially eaten second burger in his grasp and a note pinned to his shirt. It read: "I'm done with him. Please remember to make sure the kid bathes." Bif had received multiple scowls from middle-aged women regarding Troy's poor appearance. He was going to scribble his signature, but then decided against it. He didn't want to even wonder what would happen if Derby found out he had been babysitting Gord's new step kid, let alone that he had left a note that could have been taken in a very wrong way.

The child nodded, taking another small bite.

"Good."

Turns out Bif had also forgotten to show Troy around.

Bif retreated inside, planning on studying his chemistry textbook until he fell asleep from boredom. Perhaps he would travel down to the boxing club when he woke, mostly for appearance's sake. Derby wanted him to throw a match later that evening. Normally he did not listen in on other's conversations and cheat for sports betting, but Derby had done so much for him. Hell, he could barely even remember what normal was since the blonde entered his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I don't own bully, holms.

**Author's Note: **I had a bad day today, but at least I finished this chapter. (so what if it sorta got thrown together by the end?) In Seven, I plan to have Petey and Gary. I'm a little scared though; Gary is one of the most amazing characters ever and I'm afraid to make him completely out of character. (at least there's no way I could screw him up any more than I did the greasers' lingo)

**EvilChick101: **Aw thanks! Your review cheered me up a little.

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Six

Gord had now slept in the prep room owned by Jimmy for eight nights, only twice being accompanied by him. One could not really say that the brunette had been living the past week. He remained wrapped up in ripped pale green blanket, wearing only a white undershirt and red polka dotted boxers (both Aquaberry brand of course), until noon every day. Only for a few minutes earlier in the morning would he be conscious, when Jimmy stopped by to bring Troy to his first class. For being someone with such freezing feet, he tended to the brat like a father.

After standing up for the first time each day with wobbly feet, Gord would stroll aimlessly through the town that would become prep infested as soon as Bullworth's final bell rang. All of them, except an occasional lone Bif, were giving him the cold shoulder. Before they could get to him though, he crawled (metaphorically of course) back to the dim disaster of a room in which he was squandering his young life away. He'd sit at the bar, stare at the filth that had never been cleared away, fold and refold the few of his designer clothes that Jimmy was willing to carry over for him, or just simply piss and moan about the horrid mistake he made. His whole life, everything he loved and knew, thrown to the gutters just for one comment. And for what? A boyfriend who would not even stand up to the title? A boyfriend who spent all of his free time with a child who deeply hated Gord or a silly little friend students called head boy? "Where is Jimmy in my time of need?" It was still morning. Gord had his whole body and face covered with the blanket as he griped loudly.

"I'm right here numb-nuts." Jimmy yawned out. Hoisting himself onto his knees, the prep peeked through a whole in the blanket that laid in his face. It was true! There on the dusty floor, sitting on his brilliantly enticing ass, was the great Hopkins himself. "And you're not in a time of need."

"Jimmy!" All pessimistic thoughts miraculously spilled from his mind. He sprung from the blanket and bed to climb into his boyfriends arms. "What on Earth are you doing down there?"

"You pushed me off the bed in the middle of the night." he grumbled. Absentmindedly, Jimmy ran an open hand up and down Gord's clothed back. "You see, this is why I can't stay with you during the week. I'd never get a decent hour of sleep."

"Mm, I'm sorry." The prep purred, tucking his head under his boyfriend's chin. With nails that were beginning to grow as ragged as a commoners, he traced circles on Jimmy's chest.

James cleared his throat. "Are you sure you don't wanna come with today?"

"What?" The circles lowered to his stomach and the bully flinched. Most would never know that their great, strong, fearless king was ticklish.

"Earlier-" Again he lurched forward. "This week, I asked if you wanted to go with me and Pete to Blue Skies."

The richie's hand paused. "You did?"

"Yeah, you said you didn't feel like it." Maybe, while wallowing, Gord had made-up his abandonment. The whole week, other than the big picture, _was_ rather hazy.

"Oh. Well no thanks."

"I get it." Kowalski seemed to be the only student around who was overjoyed to visit the psycho. Fingers began to slowly travel even further down. Startled, Jimmy leapt a little. "Whoa," he murmured. "The kid's right over there." He jerked his head backwards and, sure enough, the brat was eating cereal at the bar.

"Are you planning on going to school ever again?" Jimmy asked after the two teens joined the child for breakfast. Gord picked at rainbow sugary pieces in his bowl. It was strange, his stomach was screaming as if he had not had a bite to eat in days, but he couldn't seem to lift the spoon up to his lips. "Or eating?" Troy jumped down from one of the mismatched barstools with his empty bowl and toddled to the serving side of the bar. He rinsed out the bowl in the small sink. "Shopping? Bathing? Living?"

Gord shook his head. "What are you talking about? I shower every single day, no matter how I feel."

"Riiight…"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

Jimmy shrugged. "I dunno. You just haven't been very… Gord lately." The prep knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. "Go take a look in the bathroom mirror."

Carefully sliding down from his seat, Gord shakily made his way into the restroom and flicked on the light. At first he was blinded. From shiny gold wallpaper to maroon specks in the floor tiling, the place shone like a bathroom one might find in an upscale gentleman's club. When the his eyes finally cleared, he was appalled at what he found staring back at him through the blurry mirror. "My lord!" He loudly gasped. His normally vibrant, neat hair was matted nearly as badly as the brat's. And from the look of it, it probably no longer smelled like his delicious strawberry shampoo. Also, his face was not washed, there were smudges on his nose, and his normally trimmed brows were growing wild. "I see what you mean, James."

It took over an hour of washing and preening until Gord was mildly satisfied. Forgetting a top when he had earlier gone back into the main room to grab a change of clothes, he went without a shirt, something he was quite comfortable doing. Already feeling a little better, he animatedly noted, "Jimmy we have _got _to do something about this filth!" Rubbish was littered everywhere on the floor and cobwebs hid in both reachable and unreachable nooks. The card table was folded up and tucked against the wall along with the chairs to make room for Troy's new bed that Jimmy had gotten him. In reality, it was really just a twin sized mattress, but the kid made it his by scattering a few shirts and pants and quilts on it. There was also a small color television in that area that he could somewhat remember picking up with some pocket change.

"Whatever you say." Jimmy had changed into a long tee-shirt boasting a band that Gord had never heard of, a dark pair of baggy jeans, and a grey wool cap with a thin black stripe winding around it. "Oh yeah, would you mind hanging out with the kid today? I don't think he's ready to meet Gary yet." His chuckled contained a hint of nervousness.

"Sure." he half heartedly agreed, distracted by searching through the armoire for a shirt that he felt like pulling on.

A soft wrapping sounded from the outside of the door. This time the boy shyly waited for Jimmy to let him enter, versus just barging in. Gord, still rummaging in the wardrobe, was blocked from sight by the open door. Troy scampered up next to Jimmy, welcoming Kowalski with a dorky grin. "Hey buddy!" The boy who always dressed in a light shade of pink happily greeted the brat, even crouching down to his height and ruffling his yellow hair. Gord scoffed. The kid liked everyone but him it seemed. The noise attracted the head boy's attention who peeked around the door only to quickly look down and away. A slight blush worked his way onto lightly tanned cheeks. "Oh, uh hey Gord. Are you ever fully dressed?" he laughed awkwardly.

"You seemed quite flustered." This made the boy even more uncomfortable.

"Just give me a minute, I gotta grab something." Jimmy spoke up, kicking around a few items on the floor. "And Gord, be nice." The prep childishly stuck out his tongue.

Pete would not look at him until he carefully tugged on a lavender short sleeved shirt with a collar. "You haven't been to classes lately; are you sick?" His gaze rose, but he never emerged from the entryway.

"One could say something along those lines."

"Oh." It seemed an eternity until Jimmy found what he was searching for and slipped it into his back pocket.

"Okay." The king gestured towards the door to Pete who quickly left with a half wave. Gord approached his boyfriend and quickly placed a peck on his cheek, like a wife from a fifties based sitcom. It was all he figured he'd be allowed to do in front of Troy. The shorter teen nodded and started to leave.

"A slingshot?" Gord raised an eyebrow, identifying the object lodged in the back pocket.

"Can never be too careful." The prep smiled at that and waved along with Troy. "You two… don't kill each other."

Silence ensued as the two were left alone together in the room that lightly smelled of lake water. Neither moved a step from their now seemingly random placements. As Gord breathed in, he noticed that the neighbor body of water was not the only thing adding to the musky stench of the room. He stole another wary whiff, eyes locking down on the probable culprit. "That shirt looks familiar." he commented, staring at the grey tee with a navy Bullworth stamp on the front Troy was wearing. The brat shrugged. "When was the last time you wore it?"

Another shoulder movement upward came before an apathetic reply. "Yesterday."

Gord grimaced. _"How disgusting." _he thought, pushing any realization of his own recent hygiene habits out of his head. Was there not a single clean item of clothing that he could wear? There was a whole pile of shirts on his bed. What was wrong with those? Glancing down, Gord began to take a closer look at the articles of clothing. There were only three shirts total: a school sweater vest, a white dress shirt to be worn under the previous item, and a long-sleeved azure sweater. No where else did he have any clothes hidden away he thought, so did that mean the kid only had a standard uniform, gym uniform, and the outfit he wore on his first day? From the sound of things, Troy did not start from the beginning of the school year, but he must have been the last four or five weeks at least. Did that mean he had been living in the same dirty things that long? It took everything in him not to gasp aloud at the thought. "Go get cleaned up." he snapped, not wanting to embarrass the kid by letting him know what he had realized.

"Why?"

"Unlike that mess of a so-called capitalist, Bif, I will not be seen in public with you covered in filth."

"You're taking me somewhere?" Wow, the child was a regular Chatty McGee today.

The prep took a step towards the kid to usher him towards the bathroom. "You will be assisting me in what I do best: shopping."

Without much thinking, Gord originally planned on whisking the brat away to his favorite place on Earth (besides Jimmy's strong arms), Aquaberry. As soon as they had started down the wooden steps they saw a group of preps standing around in the sand, and Gord remembered that he would no longer be welcomed there. He sighed. Making his new life was going to be the toughest thing he had ever done in his luxurious life. The only other clothing store that came to his mind was a thrift one that he had wandered into once while carelessly stalking Hopkins. Punches had been thrown in the end, so he knew it was somewhere in greaser territory, but he was not entirely sure where. How hard could it be to find though?

"Are we lost?" Troy timidly spoke up after they had cautiously circled the same block for the third time. Gord had been able to guide them into New Coventry by crossing in front of their school, but he was unable to make any recollections about where anything was located there. At least they had not run into a single grease ball. Plenty of homeless people, but no greasers. They must have all been applying gel to one another's hair or what ever they did Saturday afternoons.

"I will have you know that I never become lost. I just misplace my sense of direction every now and then." he informed, pulling on airs. It was an attempt to hide the fact that he was somewhat terrified to be stranded in the bad neighborhood. His eyes nervously glimpsed around. There was a Yum Yum Market store a small ways down the street they were currently stopped on. He supposed that he could ask for directions in there, but doubted that he would receive a good response, based on his clothing. Troy would fit in though.

"Oh where is he?" Gord fretted, manically pacing back and forth across the street from the store that he had foolishly sent his responsibility into alone. What if someone snatched the boy? Or what if they recognized that he was sent in the by a much despised preppie? Troy had been in there for over seven minutes according to his expensive watch. So consumed with worry, Gord did not even notice the leather jacket wearing teen on a bike stop and watch him. It wasn't until jeerful laughter filled the air that he paled and paused.

"'Ey there Mockingbird." Upon hearing the personal greeting, some of the color in Gord's face reappeared. "What's got you so worked up?"

He turned to face the greaser. "Vance! I am just _so _relieved to see you!" Flooding with gratuity, Gord closed the short distance between them and actually threw his arms around his friend.

Vance awkwardly tried to balance his bike between his legs and, at the same time, pat the Aquaberry sweater adorned back. "Jeeze, ya haven't been this excited to see me since that time I covered ya for stalkin' Hopkins." To keep from falling, he was forced to remove the clinging prep. "What's goin' on?"

"My uh friend went in there and I have not seen him since!" Gord fervently pointed towards the convenience store. He pouted slightly when the auburn haired guy chuckled at him.

"What's the big deal? Jus go in there!"

"I can't do that!"

"You 'fraid or something?" Vance let one of his gorgeous smiles shine brightly on his face. "C'mon I'll protect you." With that he swung one leg over the other side of his bicycle so that he was no longer straddling it and took hold of Gord's thin wrist. He easily pulled both over to the store.

It turns out that the brat had just become distracted with a naughty magazine and, to Gord's dismay, Vance was already familiar with the kid. ("'Ey Troy! Wha's up buddy boy?") At least the greaser offered to escort them to the thrift store, even volunteering to join them inside. Gord and Troy waited _very _close by the door until Vance came in after chaining up his bicycle.

"Why don't you run along and pick out a few new attires? I hardly think that I will find anything up to my tastes in this establishment." Gord immediately ordered Troy once the three of them were back together again.

The brat seemed unsure whether or not it was a good idea for him to comply, so Vance greased the wheels a tad. "Go pick out whatever ya want. Mockingbird's loaded." This convinced the kid to reluctantly go search the racks of used clothing, while also attracting the attention of a man behind the register. He soon stepped out and helped Troy increase the prep's tab.

"Ya haven't been around lately, at classes an' all. You okay?" The greaser asked with some genuine concern once they were alone inside the dilapidated store. He leaned against a bare space on a wall, propping up one black leather-booted foot behind him. As always, he wore the only greaser trademark jacket that he owned. Each time Gord saw his friend, there would be a new scuff or repair on it.

"Honestly? My life is in shambles right now?"

The guy always put up with the dramatic prep's problems with patience usually unseen in a man his age. "Aw, what happened?"

Just as he had done with Jimmy, Gord went through nearly the whole conversation he shared with his leaders, this time wrapping up his story with complaints about his living arrangements and how his ex-group was treating him.

"Sounds rough. I always knew those friends o' yours were no good. No offense or nothin'."

"None taken."

"So you and the kid are getting close then, huh?"

"Not as much as one would think. I have a feeling that Troy hates me though."

A look of disbelief spread across Vance's face. "Ya sure 'bout that? He's shy, but he seems to like you jus fine. From the little I've seen that is."

"Really?" Gord considered what the greaser said. He had been in a haze most of the time that he spent with the little brat. Then he remembered what the kid first said to him. "No, Troy even told me that he does not like me." He sighed. "I guess I haven't given him much of a chance though. He reminds me too much of someone else."

"Yeah, kinda jogs my mind too."

After Troy had moved on to choosing pants, from what Gord could tell, Vance changed the subject. "So has he been treatin' you good?" For some reason, a slight scowl dashed across his lips.

"James?" The greaser just slowly nodded. "Of course he has been treating me well. I'm just afraid that I will hold him back."

"Mockingbird, you're better than you realize." Well that was an odd thing for him to say; Gord had always been told that he thought quite highly of himself. Another strange comment was on it's way. "If it weren't for the king of campus, would you still be hangin' with me?"

"What on Earth _are _you talking about?" Gord laughed softly. "You were the one who was not interested in any kind of commitment."

"Let's say I'm not talkin' 'bout commitment, just what we had. Would we still be messin' around if Hopkins hadn't caught yer eye?" Gord giggled again, vaguely aware that Troy was approaching them with a stack of clothing. "What? Ain't I a good kissa'?"

The kid reached them. He held three pairs of jeans and approximately five tops. "Which ones can I keep?" Troy asked with a little shame.

"Why don't I just purchase all of them for you?" The brat started to shake his head, but Gord continued, wanting to impress his old friend with benefits. "It will be my way of apologizing for not being very friendly." All three of them grinned slightly, Troy's being the smallest. Hey, at least it was a smile. "Now let's see what you picked out."

Right on top of the pile was a baggy, white, collared tee-shirt. Gord gritted his perfectly aligned teeth. Of course it was.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bully.

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Seven

The air stuffed inside the singlewide trailer tasted stale. Was it from the fact that the resident was barely allowed the sanctity of home, or just the natural scent of the smoggy community? Petey silently pondered over this as he leaned forward onto his knees, panting slightly. Naturally being full of empathy, he felt sorrow for his scarred friend. It was hardly fair that he had to be born with problems. It was even less just that he would forever be marked an outcast it seemed, all from a single mistake. If only he had stayed on his medication.

Smith and Kowalski had met three years before Hopkins had even heard of Bullworth. Pete was shy, a result of being an only child with no cousins around his age or even a pet. At his public school kids tended not to even bother poking fun at him, basically deeming him nonexistent. When he was led into the boy's dorm for the first time by an annoyed prefect, Gary was there in the common room, playing chess by himself on a table that would later be destroyed by Russell. The timid, pathetic excuse for a male had not seen the unstable boy glance up, but he still greeted him with, "Just what this school needs, a femme boy." It was not the politest thing that anyone had ever said about him, but at least he'd given Petey the thing he needed most. Acknowledgement.

Gary was currently passed out behind Pete on the bed. The long-limbed genius laid on his back, right foot twitching, mouth open. Petey sighed. Since the beginning of summer, Gary had been working six day weeks at some low-end factory. He wasn't completely sure about what the taller one did, but, staring down at his barely clothed form, he saw that it was leaving him bruised and thin. From what Kowalski was told, Gary would eat, take his morning dosage of medication, go to work, come home, check to see if he called, and then eat his dinner with his night dosage. He had mentioned that it made him drowsy, but he had not imagined it would be that intense. Gary had only fallen asleep so fast on their first night together.

Petey rose off the edge of the large bed that was trapped in a small room. It took a moment or two of searching, but he eventually found his khaki pants and began to pull them on. They were about halfway up his thighs when a groggy voice caught him in the awkward bent position he was in. "What do you think you're doing femme?" Gary had called him that for such a long time that it eventually became somewhat of a pet name, much to Petey's discontentment.

"I'm getting dressed." He finished putting them on and could then be considered fully clothed. The smaller boy in a stained rose sweater hobbled over to stand by his lover's bedside. Even half awake, Gary could be considered near violent whenever he had the chance to release any passion. Wearing a shirt at all times was a lessen he picked up very quickly after being covered in bite marks (some of which drew blood) the first few times.

"Why?" His eye that was blanketed with a scar was partially open, but his other remained shut. The head boy wondered whether it was by choice or not. Gary's hand sluggishly slapped against Pete's stomach and dragged down to the button of his waistband. The genius managed to slip his fingers between the warm skin and tan cloth, but seemed unable to do much more than let it lie there. "Dammit Petey!" It was sad to hear his mighty roar be dwindled down to a confused sounding mew. "If you hadn't had made me take them, I'd…" for a split second he drifted off. "I'd be able to…"

"Yeah, I know." He took a quick peek at the obnoxiously bright red numbers on a nightstand's alarm clock. It was a little past seven. Jimmy had only left about an hour ago. Petey was surprised that the natural blonde had stayed so long after the gore-filled movie that Kowalski had only seen between peeks that the three of them went to after a cheap fast-food lunch. He hadn't imagined that Jim would behave so well, only remarking bitterly about the past a few times. The two strong people had done most of the talking. Jimmy filled Gary in about the inside information on the cliques and, in return, was entertained by the brunette's horror stories of Happy Volts. "I have to get going."

"For your ersatz position? They're not going to miss you on a weekend night." Petey took a step back and let Gary's hand slip and loudly hit against the side of the bed frame.

"I'll try calling you tomorrow. You only work half days on Sunday, right?" They both knew that this fact was well installed inside Kowalski's head. He had only asked it to prolong his stay. It was hard to hear people smear the name of a hard working individual all day long. It was even harder to go without hearing his clear fearless voice though, too bad it would no longer sound that way again until the morning. "Goodbye."

As he turned to leave, Gary stopped him. "Hey Femme Boy?"

Pete only turned his head back towards the watered-down version of his best friend. "What?"

"Thanks for getting big bad Jim to talk to me again."

"Yeah, no problem." He smiled shyly and waved one hand. "I thought you hated him. What changed your mind?"

"We're a well oiled machine Petey." Gary smirked and attempted to push his lengthening hair out of his face. "I'm always going to be the brains- no matter what kind of menial shit they've got me doing- and Hopkins is the psychotic strength."

"Oh…" He hid a sigh. Once again, he was the one left out. All he seemed to be good for was running their errands.

"And you," Gary continued, catching his smaller friend by surprise. "You're the commonsense that keeps everything together."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **Yo holmses, I do not own Bully.

**Author's Note: **Chapter eight and chapter nine will be short, but I said all I needed to in them.

**EvilChick101: **Thank you again for reviewing. Gary and Petey are one of my favorite pairings from the game, so I had to include them somewhere.

**AmishGazebo: **Yay! Thanks :3

**Kai19999: **Thank you so much for reviewing! I can barely believe anyone would like Troy. I don't even like him hardly! haha. Your name reminds me of the guy from Harvest Moon.

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Eight

"Bif!" Jimmy had decided to cut through the school on his way back from his meeting with an old enemy. The sky was already starting to grow dark, so he probably shouldn't have been detouring through jock itch land, but then he saw the prep. "What the hell are you doing here? Better not be starting shit." he shouted, not even nearing a yard away.

The giant rich fighter waved his hands nervously in the air. That was strange. "Please keep your voice down." Bif was standing in the middle of the path leading to the football field. His back was to the land were pea brained asses tackled each other.

"Why're you in jock territory?" Jimmy spoke in a reasonable volume when he was directly in front of the red boxer. He locked his hands on his hips and somewhat squinted up, trying to get across the point that he meant business. Then again, when did he not mean business?

"I am on guard duty."

"What?"

Bif threw a sigh as if it were a perfect explanation. Jimmy's glaring eyes convinced him to dumb it down. "Pinky saw a romantic scene of a film where a couple showed their undying… love" there was disgust written all over his high-nosed face. "In a field. She thought it was something that she deserved and this was the closest thing Derby could find to a meadow."

"Oh." Jimmy peered around the Goliath and, sure enough, two shadowy figures on a blanket were going at it. "Gross." he commented, shrugging.

Bif nodded. "Derby paid the sports team off, but wanted me to stand here, just in case."

Before trudging off, as he should have done after seeing that disturbing of a situation, Jimmy thought of how to take advantage of the moment. "Hey Bif?"

"Yes?"

"Derby isn't too serious about kicking Gord out, is he? I think he and the kid will rip each other's throats out if they have to live together much longer."

"I am afraid that he has made-up his mind." Hastily, Bif threw in, "Sorry."

Jimmy sighed, though he didn't expect any other response. "Well, at least he's not hiring someone to off Gord or anything." he chuckled weakly, like Petey.

Bif did not join him.

`~***~`

By the time Jimmy stumbled into the beach house, it was pitch black outside. At his side he held a white plastic bag of takeout food. He looked around, wondering if what he saw was real. The place was clean. Not just clean though, all of their crap was put into a place where it should have belonged. "Damn." he whistled appreciatively. Troy had been standing on a chair in a corner, attempting to wipe away final spider webs. At the sound of his guardian, he hopped down and ran up to him, taking the bag. Even the kid looked cleaner. "Where's Gord? I brought dinner."

Troy shrugged and brought the bag to the bar. He scampered to the shelves hidden on the inside of the bar and brought out some plates. "He's with his greaser friend." Just hearing that clique's name nearly made Jimmy want to hurl. He knew he was supposed to be impartial and the peace keeper and everything, but still…

"So you cleaned this dump up?" Jimmy asked after he and the kid were parked in front of their new TV. They now each had some spaghetti on a plate that would have once been considered fine china. There had been meatballs, but they seemed to disappear as soon as the white Styrofoam container was opened. Troy nodded. "So what did Gord do all day then?"

"Took me out to get some new clothes. That's where we ran into the greaser at." Jimmy now noticed the unfamiliar white shirt that Troy was wearing. He tried not to smile; for some reason it looked really nice.

Maybe the prep he fooled around with and the kid he watched over _could_ get along. "That was nice of him."

Some time passed where the two just ate in silence. "Oh yeah," Jimmy suddenly remembered. "I forgot to grab your clothes back from the laundry mat today. Guess we'll have to get them tomorrow."

Troy smirked. "Guess so."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **Yo holmses, I do not own Bully.

**Author's Note: **I have just finished mapping out what will be happening in the rest of the chapters in my story (it actually gets interesting). I hope that people will stick with me until the end. Thank you readers! :3

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Nine

Vance actually whistled as he left the boys' dorm and made his way to shop. _"It was nice seein' him again." _he contently thought, passing a few young girls that were standing in a circle. He threw a wink and a wave at them. Squeals hit his back, which was barer than usual. _"Too bad Jim's got him now."_

The shop was empty, a surprise that Vance wasted very little time thinking about. As he dug around in a cardboard box on a shelf for a certain wrench, he could hear boots meeting the concrete floor. Taking a quick check over his shoulder, he saw it was good ol' Johnny V. That was no shock. Johnny may have graduated the year earlier, but he was still their leader and came around every so often. "What's goin' round--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah you're gonna rhyme. What else is new?"

"Hey, people always said I was a real good poet." Vance turned to face Johnny, thankful that his earlobe was taped up. The last time he and his dame got into it, she tore his gold ring right out of his head. The mangled flesh was more than enough to make him clutch his stomach.

"Ain't you one of us no more?" Johnny seemed heated.

"What're you talkin' about?"

"Where's you jacket?"

"Oh that." He peered down at the tight black shirt that was pulled over his torso. "My friend got a lil' chilly last night, so I borrowed it to him. That's all."

Johnny came up fast, showing off his large height and size advantage. His leader pushed him hard in the shoulder. "It was that damn Gordo kid, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." Vance tried to show no weakness in his reply. It was completely blown though when he tried to take a step away, but was stopped by a tool bench that was already pressed into his back. "What's wrong with that? I thought you an' Lola was past that."

His comment made the big guy back off a bit. Johnny shook his head, holding his hands way up as if in defense against himself. "Whoa, whoa, I am- we are way over that shit." He took a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from a pocket over his heart. Shaking a little, he brought one to his mouth and lit it. His feet began moving him round and round, pacing circular paths, and would not stop.

"You're not gonna bother him none, are ya?" Truthfully, Vance was thrown off by the way his normally cool leader was acting.

"Course I won't; I don't hit queens." Johnny gleefully chuckled to himself. Vance crossed his arms in distaste and started to slowly turn away. "And by that I mean he's Jimmy's queen. Jimmy's the king and Gordo's his queen. But not for long Vance, not for long." Johnny's speech speeded up as every word drew him closer to his underling.

"What're ya talkin' about? Those two love each other." Vance surprised himself by how bitter sounding his last words had come out.

Again, Johnny laughed, this time clapping an arm around Vance's shoulder. "No, the kid loves you boyo. The kid loves you and I can help you reel him in. All you gotta do is listen to me."

Vance raised an eyebrow. "I ain't no dummy. Why would you want me and him to be together?"

"Ey!" Johnny roughly poked him in the chest with his free hand. "We greasers aren't like any of those other groups; we stick together and help each otha out, no matter what. No matter what!"

Vance considered this and shrugged. It was true. "Alright, I'm listenin'."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bully yo.

* * *

**Kai19999: **You really think so? Well then I am just flattered!

**EvilChick101: **I hope you do, because your comments are very magical and make me happy. :3 I love running by Vance in the game, just to hear him rhyme.

* * *

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Ten

(Yay double digits!)

"You are quite sure that Troy will be okay with… _him, _right?" Gord snootily asked, tagging, as always, at least five feet behind Jimmy.

"What do you care?" Jimmy called over his shoulder, not slowing his pedaling in the least. The two teens on bicycles came to a downwards hill. While Gord cautiously pulled the cool brake handle with an unfashionably sweaty palm, James proceeded in throwing his hands in the air and trying to awkwardly balance with his ass above the uncomfortable seat.

"You are a madman!" The prep now had to shout one step below a scream to be heard. They both (thankfully) survived the decent, the king having to wait at the bottom for a second or two. He laughed at Gord's scowl. "And, I do not care. It would just cause problems if something happened to a minor who was signed out in your care."

"The kid'll be fine with Gary for a few hours. He really wanted to meet the future ruler of Bullworth." This only raised alarm. "Besides, Petey will be there too."

"Hey," the prep started as he noticed a passing sign. "We're leaving New Coventry. I thought you would be too cheap to go anywhere else; just where are you taking me James?"

"Somewhere right up your alley." By now Jimmy was much further ahead again. "Hurry up! I actually had to make reservations for this place and I think we're supposed to be there around the time I said."

It was an unnaturally warm Saturday, said to be the last pleasant day before winter came. Gord had attended class everyday for the past two weeks and managed to catch up again. Of course, everything was a little easier to do when one could show some green.

To celebrate Gord's recovery from his deep dark, if not a tad shallow, self-depression, Jimmy agreed to take him on a date. They had just dropped Troy off at a dingy trailer (the prep was ordered to stay outside) for the day and evening, and now Gord had no idea what would come next. He could imagine though. James might sweep him off his feet and carry him into some little burrow in the wall type place. His handsome date would feed him a bite of exotic pauper cuisine, and not a soul would be there to judge them. Of course in his fantasy Jimmy was much taller and did not have strange ginger roots showing through his chocolate hair. Also, they were in a beautiful white limousine, not ten-speed bikes that would leave them with pained behinds.

`~***~`

"Jimmy! What are we doing here?" Gord snapped in a hushed tone. He found himself standing in a cramped line at the fanciest restaurant in Old Vale. And it was lunchtime! Everyone knew that the only people that went there for lunch were wealthy senior citizens and preppies from Bullworth. So far the only people he had seen were the first, but he was certain that the latter would be crawling just beyond the entrance.

"Getting lunch, geeze. Do I always need to be the brains with you?" He was going to retort, but the elderly couple in front of them hobbled away and the two boys were left exposed at the front of the line. Jimmy marched up to the podium and greeted the hostess. Gord tried his best to hide behind his shorter boyfriend. "Hey." Jim leaned forward onto the dark hostess stand.

"Hello sir." The pretty black haired lady in her early twenties appeared somewhat unnerved. "Name please?"

"Jimmy, what's yours?"

Her cotton candy nailed hands fidgeted with the edge of the gold page in the thick reservation book. "Vanessa." She looked away. "Last name sir?"

"Aw, you don't have to call me that." Gord could have very easily died of embarrassment right there on the shiny oak floor. "I mean, I am the king of Bullworth and everything, but-"

"For God's sake," he cut his boyfriend off and pushed him aside. "Hopkins, party of two."

"Right this way please." Vanessa looked immensely relieved, being able to return to her comfort zone of reading names and showing people to tables.

"I think she likes me." Jimmy muttered, nudging him with an elbow.

Gord's fears were confirmed when they were finally seated at their minute round table in the middle of a prep filled room. They all stared at the two, but Jimmy did not seem to notice. He was too busy trying to pronounce French words on the menu, or 'carty' as he said it. "You are out of your mind for bringing me here!" he hissed, hunching forward in an attempt to hide himself in his own menu.

"What're you talking about? You love fancy crap like this."

"Look around!"

He did. "A few rich kids, so what? You've been handling them good enough."

"But that has only been one or two in a whole classroom of other people! This is there territory. We've invaded their nesting grounds!"

Nonchalantly, Jimmy commanded, "Relax." If only either one of them could obey that order once a snobby comment containing the phrase "butt chums" floated by them. It would be safe to say that they spared no time in eating and then getting the hell out of there.

`~***~`

Gord was slightly disappointed when neither Jimmy nor himself spoke the entire ride to the beach on which their little home was located. They left their bikes leaning against iron railing before descending down the wooden, sand covered, cracking stairs. It was a mild surprise when Jimmy stopped walking in the middle of the beach instead of heading straight to the house. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think you guys stopped scaring in numbers." Not a soul was around to frighten away his boyfriend, so Gord slipped behind the warm body and wrapped his arms across the front of James' neck. The bully tensed and looked every way he could manage before allowing their standing positions.

"I just cannot see how you could afford the bill." he replied in a low voice, burying his face in the back of Jimmy's hair.

"The 'errand' business makes big bucks." Jim laughed.

Gord rolled his eyes. "Yes I know that, but you have had no time to run 'errands' lately, what with Troy and everything." Hopkins did not respond. "Don't tell me that you're…" Still silence. "No! You bring the brat along? What kind of message does that send?" Gord slapped his boyfriend's chest before letting go of him.

Jimmy turned. "Oh come on! I've only brought him on a few eggings and taggings. He has fun and it's not like I'm taking him to go beat the shit out of people disturbing the peace."

The prep scoffed and the bickering continued on for quite awhile.

When the subject and its branches were finally dropped, the couple was sitting side by side in the sand, just before where each wave carried the water out. Gord had his legs crossed and his head balanced in his palms. He barely even realized that he was sighing, saddened by the fact that he and Jim were like an old bitter couple.

"Dare ya to go in." Jimmy idly broke the dull silence.

"What?"

He elaborated, "I dare you to go in the water." Gord did not even validate him with a response. "C'mon, I'll do it if you do!" The king began to rise onto his feet.

"Are you kidding me? No person is foolish enough to swim at this time of year." Jimmy began to strip off the oversized 'Bullworthless' shirt he had made himself. Gord tried not to blush, but could already feel heat rising.

"So it's a deal then." the natural blonde firmly stated as he wriggled out of old jeans.

"What? No!" Gord sputtered, but it was too late; Jimmy had already kicked off his shoes and socks, and ran waist deep into the dirty navy lake.

The great Hopkins actually managed to stay in the water longer than a few minutes. At first, he just splashed about and guffawed like a giant dork, but then he began to swim. For being so heavy-footed on land, he was rather graceful in water. Gord could feel his pulse quicken by just watching the fluid movements.

"Shit, it's cold out here!" Jimmy laughed boisterously as he began to wade back in to his hips. "Can hardly breathe."

"Well there is a reason of why people stay out of lakes in autumn." Gord quickly pondered on how dangerous the stunt that James had just pulled really was. "We had better get you under a quilt."

"What?" he shouted back. "I thought we had a deal."

Gord paled. "N-No!" Loud splashes could be heard as the great water beast began to rush in. "I never agreed to anything!" the prep shrieked as he tried to clamber to his feet. In panic, his feet slipped in the loose sand and slowed him much needed milliseconds. By the time he managed to stand, Jimmy was only a few feet out, water not even being able to scrape his knees.

Gord turned to run hearing, "Guess I'll just have to bring the lake to you." The breath was soon knocked out of the prep and he flew a hair above the ground for a split moment. He came down roughly face first in the sand from Jimmy's tackle. Ice cold water rapidly seeped in through his sweater and pants.

"James, my clothes!" he whined as Hopkins slowly peeled himself off his back. Gord sorely twisted around so that he faced his now kneeling, breathless boyfriend. Despite there being a smirky smile on his face, Jimmy looked ill. His skin was a sickly lavender color in his hands and cheeks, and his breathing came in hollow pants. "Jim, you look absolutely dreadful."

"Nah, I'm fine." he began to shake as he answered.

"I think you should get indoors."

"No!" he snapped, making Gord flinch. "I mean, today was supposed to be your day and I've already ruined it enough."

Gord was concerned. Since when did Jimmy care about ruining the prep's time? "It is getting a little chilly out here. _I _would like to go back home."

Jimmy slowly nodded, his thin eyes squinting more than usual. "Oh, well in that case…"

`~***~`

Gord was not nearly as disenchanted as he thought he would have been if he found out that he'd spend his special date taking care of his idiot boyfriend. Whether it be because Jimmy was lulled into a sweet, appreciative state, or that he really just enjoyed sharing a cup of cheap microwavable noodles, snuggled under a blanket with him, Gord did not really know. He was content though. Happy even.

"I'm sorry I messed everything up. I just wanted to have some fun with you." Jimmy apologized, eyes struggling to keep open. The prep thought that he had once learned that a person suffering from hypothermia needed to stay awake and be rushed to a hospital. James was just so perfectly adorable when drowsy, so Gord prayed that his boyfriend had contracted nothing more serious than a cold.

"I'm having a swell time now." Gord murmured, his head resting on Jimmy's chest. He chuckled softly. "And I guess watching you make a complete fool of yourself was not so bad either." Jim had his arms lying around Gord, pulling him closer with every tired breath. The prep's thoughts devilishly wandered off to a barely clothed Hopkins pressed down on top of him. Had he been wearing that ridiculously petit swimsuit that Tad had once given him as a joke? "Please do not tell me that you wear that little navy piece in public."

"Why the hell not? I've got the body for it." Jimmy laughed and Gord gave his soft middle, which he was clinging to, a squeeze. It was a darn good thing that he was drawn to the teddy bear effect.

They allowed a comfortable silence to befall them. It was only interrupted by Jimmy's barely conscious voice once before soft snores developed. "Keep me warm, Gord."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bully yo.

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**Kai19999: **Oh, there will be more Vance. :3 Just not for a few chapters. T-T (three to be precise)

**EvilChick101: **I'm touched that you think that I can write well! I really love writing, and I want to involve it in whatever career I end up with, but it's hard to write in third person. I was going to do first person point of view, but that makes it difficult to get personalities right. Thanks for reviewing! ^-^

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A Boy Named Troy

Chapter 11

"I fucking hate snow!" Gary griped while slumping forward to accommodate the weight of the kid perched on his shoulders.

"Gary! You can't swear in front of Troy." Petey scolded. His boyfriend may have been a natural with the child, but that did not mean he didn't have some cleaning up of his act to do.

"The brat doesn't care, does it?"

"Fuck no." Troy quietly replied with a proud look on his face. Pete rolled his eyes as the other two laughed.

Three out of the past four Saturdays, the odd couple looked after Troy while Gord and Jimmy went on dates. Pete was a little jealous at first that the royal pair got to go have fun together, but then he saw how Gary's eyes lit up around the kid. It was nice to be able to make believe that he had a family that wanted him, even if only for a day a week. Plus, a child in the house gave him an excuse to not putout every time he visited the genius. The only problem with babysitting Troy was the part that they were now on, taking him back. It was early December and a light sleet was already covering the ground. Jimmy couldn't expect them to travel the long distance on foot through heaps of snow, could he? Sure Gary was finally on a lower dosage that he could take without immediately becoming a vegetable afterwards, but he still needed rest for work.

There was also a political benefit of agreeing to take in Troy. Jimmy and Gord were getting along better than ever before, and positive results could be seen in Jim's ruling. The broad bully was becoming less likely to jump straight to conclusions and his indecisive problem (the one that Petey, regrettably, would have to admit that everyone was becoming aware of) was clearing up a tad bit. If Gord could keep making the king happy, then Bullworth might stand a chance of keeping its monarchy and the vague peace it brought between the cliques.

As they strolled past the factory where Gary slaved away his life, a voice called out from the shadows. "Smith." Petey jumped and his eyes darted over to the eerie building's high chain link fence. Leaning against it, one leg up behind him and arms crossed in front of his chest, was an awfully large man. Pete stared for a second. Hadn't he seen this guy before? Gary began to walk towards the mystery man, leaving Kowalski behind momentarily.

"What?" When the three neared into the dimly lit area, Pete could now see the guy clearly. He had greasy skin, tangled blonde hair, and arms that could probably rip the shy head boy in half.

"_Gosh, this guy's like a beefed out Troy." _he thought to himself, but knew that wasn't exactly it.

The guy stepped away from the fence, showing just how bigger he was and filling their noses with the stale scent of alcohol. "Told me you could show me where Hopkins is at tonight." Trent! That's who it was! Petey had nearly forgotten all about the violent wannabe-star, but now it was obvious. And then the wheels began to turn and things clicked into place.

"Oh man…" he softly spoke aloud, making Gary check back at him, but not even alerting the booze-soaked oaf. This time, Petey kept quiet while pulling things together inside his head. _"Trent and Troy are nearly identical; it's no wonder why Jim was instantly drawn to the kid. Does he realize that though? Does Gord? Gord's sharper than him, so he must have, and that would explain why he doesn't seem to like Troy very much. Trent… Trent… Did Jimmy ever get over him? He must have! He's with Gord now. Poor Gord. The guy's so overdramatic that it would probably kill him if he knew Trent was around again. Wait… didn't Trent just say that he wanted to see Jimmy tonight?"_

"Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about your request. I've been _terribly _busy lately, what with all the banquets I've been hosting and—"

Trent cut Gary off from his sarcastic remark. "You are going to bring me to Jimmy's." He cracked his knuckles loudly.

"_Please say no, Gare!" _Petey silently screamed, even though he was frightened by conflict.

Gary's head moved back slightly, no doubt looking up at Troy, and his hands tightened around the kid's shins. You could almost hear his teeth grit together. "Of course I will. Just follow us, we're on our way there now."

"_Now what's going to happen?! If Gord leaves Jimmy, then he might not ever get back to his old self. I can't be head boy of a Bullworth with clique problems as bad as last year! I cannot let Trent get near the beach house!"_

Pete may have been short, but he could move his legs ably enough to keep up with the long strides of Gary. Trent was a different story. He had always been slow moving at school, but now that he probably weighed fifty pounds more from his new muscles and was drunk, his steps were sluggish and kept him behind the three by a few feet. "When did you see Trent?" Petey whispered and then peeked back to see if the blonde had heard. Nope.

"He got sucked into the same hell as I did. He's on a different floor, but everyone has lunch at the same time. I had the honor of him recognizing me."

"We can't let him get to Jimmy!" He kept his voice hushed, but couldn't help nervously looking back at a more-than-half out of it Trent.

"Why not? The guy's got more steroids pumped into him than all the jocks combined, but I think Bullworth's amazing, terrific, faultless king can handle him. And if he can't, oh well. A few weeks in a nice hospital is nothing compared to Happy Volts."

"It's not that. Trent and Jimmy used to… well you know." Gary raised the eyebrow that his trademark scar ran through. "They weren't dating, but they still did things."

To that Gary laughed raucously. "Oh that is just great, magical even! Big mean Jimmy is a fairy!" Petey narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend, trying to communicate that Jimmy wasn't the only one. As the maniac brunette's triumphant laugh finally began to dissipate, he wiped a tear from his eye and spoke again. "What, did they get into a lover's quarrel or something? I'm not going to help Hopkins get out of his romantic problems."

"But what about Gord…" Pete bit his lip and looked up, trying his hardest to milk any kind of a cute angle he could get.

"Who the hell is Gord?"

"Vendrome? One of the preps?" Gary just shook his head. "Well he's Jim's boyfriend," a snigger escaped the taller one's lips. "And he's been staying with Troy and Jimmy at the beach house—"

"Wait, so the queen's actually living with a guy?"

"Yes!" Kowalski let a little frustration make his speech louder. This required him to do another check behind them. Trent was losing more ground, wobbling ahead with his hands in his front pockets. Quieter once again, Pete returned to his explanation. "I'm afraid of what Trent might do if he gets angry. I mean, he'll know right where to find them."

Gary nodded slowly. "Don't worry, I have no plans of taking the lush with us the whole way." Pete sighed out relief. Before they kept cautiously quiet, Gary looked up at Troy (the best that he could manage) and asked, "Hey kid, do you like boys or girls."

Without hesitation, Troy happily answered, "Girls."

"Hmm… interesting."

"What did you ask that for?" Petey snapped a little, annoyed that his boyfriend was bothering a child about sexual orientation.

"Swearing is contagious, yet homosexuality is not. Maybe southern hicks should take a lesson from this kid."

`~***~`

When they first stepped onto the bridge leading out of New Coventry and onto Bullworth grounds, Gary stopped. Petey copied the halt. Trent had fallen about thirty feet behind them; it was a wonder he had been able to keep up at all. With the careful ease of a parent, Gary knelt down onto his knees and allowed Troy to hop off his shoulders, with Pete's help. "I wouldn't trust Northwick sober, and I sure as hell don't in this condition." he started, rising back to his full height. He stretched out before continuing, "I want you to take the kid back by yourself, femme."

Kowalski was truly touched, almost enough to be moved to tears. The only things that kept his face dry were the icy breeze and the fact that he'd never be able to live it down. "What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about; I'll take care of him." Trent was still quite a ways off, but Smith didn't dare risk letting the bully see him do anything more than roughly pat Pete on the top of his shorthaired head. The head boy frowned, but it was mistaken for fear. "Look, I'm one of the only things with more than half a brain that this crap-hole town has ever seen. I can outsmart Northwick." The buff blonde was coming closer. "All I have to do is lead him in the wrong direction and then lose him. Judging by the basic skills he's managed to retain, he won't even remember tonight at work tomorrow."

Petey nodded. "I'll call you in the afternoon."

Trent was only six or seven feet off as Gary leaned down to tightly embrace Troy, an action so human that some might not have been able to believe it was the same guy who once took over the school. "Good lookin' kid. Who is he?" the bully drunkenly shouted.

Smith immediately rose up, jerking his head forward to signal for the two to get lost. "He's a little young for you, don't you think?" Even from the distance, they could all plainly see the menacing glare that resulted from the smart-alecky comment. "The brat is just my brother."

`~***~`

Petey and Troy just concentrated on putting as much distance as they could between themselves and Trent at first. It wasn't until they had gotten into Old Vale that the younger of the two spoke up. "That man used to be with Jimmy? How old _is _he?"

"Believe it or not, but Trent should be a senior at Bullworth right now."

"Why isn't he?"

"Well, he got into a bit of trouble over summer vacation." The child nodded in response to the vague explanation. Petey stopped for a moment and turned to his companion that was even shorter than he was at that age. "Listen, you cannot tell Jim that we saw Trent. It would ruin everything."

Troy wrinkled his nose at that. "I know that! I'm not deaf; I could hear everything you and Gary talked about." Now it was time for Petey to make the motion of nodding. The kid was right. They began to move forward again. "Ya know, I actually like Gord more than this Trent dude."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bully yo.

**Author's Note: **Sorry this chapter took so long to put up. It's not that it is very lengthy or anything; it just took me awhile to write. Lame high school drama has taken a hold of me because I got dumped, so that's been a pretty big distraction. Along with end of tri work also. I've been pretty down lately, so my mommy got me a kitty! ^-^ His name is Sheldon and he's so cute. I sneak up behind him and say really loudly "Hi I'm Sheldon!" and then he jumps. Adorable! …. yes, I am quite the nerd.

**EvilChick101: **Well I am sorry I made you anticipate a little bit longer than usual. ^-^ Your reviews fill me with happiness!

**AmishGazebo: **Thanks! It is an honor to make you happy. :3

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twelve

If only the two prep leaders had not been out taking a stroll the previous night. If only Derby did not see Kowalski and Smith. If only that vicious Northwick had not been approaching. If ifs were true, then Bif would not currently be sitting in an armchair across from his conspiring leader. Normally, the redhead would be overjoyed to share the warm, fireplace lit, sitting room alone with Derby, but something was churning in his usually iron stomach.

"This is a golden opportunity, ol' chap! We have got to devise a plan to get Hopkins and Vendrome." The blonde roamed back and forth, brandishing his arms as he roared.

Bif shifted uncomfortably in his maroon seat that was upholstered with some of the finest fabric that money could buy. Coincidentally, it wrinkled strangely when he rubbed his sweating palms against it. "I don't exactly see what they have done though."

Derby did not halt his pacing. "Simple, my friend. Both of those… of those… of those _scoundrels _insulted our noble class!" Tremblay would ask for his reasoning again, but could tell by the fire in his best friend's eyes that he wouldn't have to. "Jimmy has been treating us just like we are the same as all those other second-class citizens. Behind our backs he calls us weak and trust fund inbreds." Derby's steps grew quicker and quicker. "Gord's even worse." Suddenly, he stopped. His gaze narrowed down on Bif and the boxer began to squirm. "You will help me Bif, won't you? We cannot let injustices be done to the residents of Harrington House." Bif could not think of anything to say. He didn't exactly believe or understand Derby's reasoning, but he liked to think of himself as the protector of the preps. "After all," the blonde continued as of a result of Bif not answering. "I have done so much for you in the past."

The boxer then knew that he could not possibly let his friend down. "It would be my honor to help you." he nodded.

"Great!" Derby clapped his hands together. "I must ready myself for slumber now. Meet me in my private sitting room in an hour; I should be clothed again by that time."

Bif had no clue as to what to do with himself for the long, apprehensively quiet hour. There were no other preps sneaking around the still common areas. He was not sure where everyone could be; it was a Sunday night, so they should have been in bed or doing last minute homework. He knew where Pinky was though. Everybody did, even Derby.

Something in Bif wanted to cry out in disgust every time he was reminded of his leader's relationship. At first, he thought it had to do with the two sharing the same bloodline. People in his family did not date each other, unlike most of the other preps' relatives. He knew deep down that that was not all tugging at his insides when he was forced to watch the handsome blonde slide an arm around the harlot though. The boxer may have known exactly why he hated it so much, but was too timorous to full heartedly search for the answer. Even now, absentmindedly drifting around the empty house, only letting the realization waver on the edge of his concentration, he felt as if he could become sick at any moment.

`~***~`

Derby opened the ridiculously large double doors shortly after Bif's third grouping of knocks. The boxer was startled by his close friend's appearance, which was below normal standards and yet exceeded them at the same time. The blonde must not have had been quite ready, judging by the toothbrush that hung from his foam lined mouth, which he crudely cleaned off with the back of his hand. His hair and exposed skin were wet, probably having just stepped out from a shower. On his way to greet the redhead, Derby must have only felt he had enough time to slip into a lengthy pair of burgundy silk pajama bottoms. "My lord Bif!" the leader snapped, but the boxer was too distracted by the bare chest in front of him. Derby avoided working up a sweat at all costs, so how he had gotten his stomach as tight as he did was a mystery. Bif had a strange urge to feel the warm flat area under his fingers. "You should know better than to wait outside my door by now!" He craved to slowly trace every line. "You are always welcomed in, unless I am, you know, 'entertaining.' That has never really been a problem though; you're usually knowledgeable of my going-ons." Did Derby ever contemplate weird things about Bif? "Since when do you knock anyways?" Did he ever want to touch him, or were these ghastly thoughts housed by Bif alone? "Are you even listening to me?"

Bif shook into attention and quickly reprimanded himself mentally. "Of course. I am honored to be shown such trust by someone of your stature." Derby threw his hands up with exaggerated motions and began to walk back to his restroom, leaving the front door open for the boxer. _"What the hell is wrong with me lately?" _Bif scolded himself as he shut the doors behind him. _"I've seen a shirtless Derby plenty of times." _The blonde had been the one, after all, to teach Bif everything he knew about the noble sport of boxing. When they were said to be too young for the club by Harrington relatives who were in double-digit grades back when the two barely had double-digit ages, Derby would practice with the redhead in nothing but boxers. Times were better back then, when they could get away with such things accusation free.

"Have you given any thought to a plan?" Derby smoothly asked as he settled himself down into the chair just to the right of Bif's position at the table. It had taken another forty-five minutes for the blonde to ready himself completely and it was becoming the early hours of morning, but Bif was thankful that he was now wearing a shiny robe that covered the distracting body. Harrington was slouching somewhat and swiveled his wheeled seat back and forth with his heels.

"No, I have never been very good with plotting." he nervously chuckled out a reply.

Derby just nodded halfheartedly. It was quite obvious to the boxer that his leader was lost within his own thoughts, and it sort of made him… happy almost. From a young age, Derby had once complained secretly to him, all Harrington children were taught to always be alert and courteous in front of company. That meant that Derby then felt comfortable enough to break ingrained rules with Bif. "It must end with Hopkins losing Vendrome." Derby thoughtfully shared his view aloud after a few moments. Inattentively, he rubbed his chin. "That would be the only real punishment."

Bif cleared his throat, unable to hold back his urge to question the leader's logic. Derby frowned, knowing that he was going to be corrected by the only person on the planet that would dare. "I believe that breaking them up would hurt Vendrome ten times more than it would Hopkins." There was nodding, consideration, and then, finally, dismissal.

"We have all witnessed the downwards slope the king was racing down, have we not?" The boxer agreed, knowing exactly where this was going, but not wanting to ruin the blonde's moment by interrupting. "And you of all people should have noticed how close Hopkins has allowed Gord to get, especially since the expulsion from Harrington House." Bif tried not to show any signs of the startle this gave him. Lately, he had become most interested in observing the mismatched couple and the child. Had his friend noticed his absence? He would simply die if anyone had seen him pressed against a tree, straining to catch a glimpse of a now seemingly regular Saturday date. "If I am correct in my thinking, which is always the case, then there is a link between the relationship and the slowing of Jimmy's downfall."

"According to the nerds, the slope has leveled out and, at the rate of his recent improvement, he should be able to progress beyond his most successful times in a matter of weeks." Thankfully, Derby did not make the connection that he was not the only clique leader making the same calculations.

"What if he had some sort of a distraction from his ruling?"

"Well," the redhead gave a second's worth of time mulling it over. "I suppose it might stop any great improvements, but I do not think it would make him any worse than he was before Vendrome."

"Perfect." Derby grinned a most malicious smile. "If the relationship is shattered, then a weakened monarchy would surely fall beyond the point of repair." he laughed and shoved his body forward, leaning onto the table at an angle to Bif.

"They seem happy together."

"Northwick can change that." A well cared for hand ushered the redhead to also lean into their private huddle. "Here is what will happen: You will bring that yellow-haired pauper to his royal highness, but in secret. We will allow them to be together for a month or so, guarding Gord from any kind of knowledge about the affair. Jimmy will be so caught up in attempting to hide the scandal that he will begin to slip in his duties. Then we will spring the news of a cheating boyfriend on Gord, letting him explode and end everything!"

Even though Derby was ecstatic about his scheme, Bif had his doubts. "Who is to say that Jimmy would even be willing to go behind Gord's back?"

"That head boy, Peter or Pat or Dan, whatever his name, seemed to think that Hopkins would be interested. Vendrome cannot supply the king with the low class mentality that he needs."

"I suppose, but what if Jimmy just leaves Gord for Trent?"

Derby raised a plucked eyebrow and laughed. "I thought you said the two were happy together. Besides, every Bullworth student knows of Gord's… 'dramatic abilities.' Not even Hopkins would dare to face the wrath of a dumped Vendrome."

"What--" Bif started but was cut off by a Derby powerfully rising to his feet.

"Now now, no more what or buts Bif. My plan is solid, faultless. I need to retire soon, so will you assist me or not?"

The redhead also stood, his movements a little shaky compared to the other's. Despite the better part of him crying out against it, he answered, "Of course I will."

When Derby stood at his bedroom's doors, Bif was already resting his hand on the cool doorknob to exit. "Goodnight, Derby." he called, checking behind him at the blonde.

"You're a good man Bif, keeping tabs on those two without me even having to ask." The boxer quickly turned his face back towards the door, hiding a truthful blush. "Every day I feel thankful that I picked you up out of the dirt."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bully. You know, I could probably get away with just putting one of these on chapter one. Oh well, it's become a habit now! ^-^

**EvilChick101: **You were my fifteenth review, which is awesome because it is my favorite number! Tu as raison, Derby is a jerky-poo.

**Kai19999: **Yay praise! Ha, I was afraid to write about Derby because I have not played the game in so long. And as for Bif, all I remember is that he falls in the boxing ring and Derby yells at him (true love, right?), so I'm just kinda making up his character as I go along.

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Thirteen

Students at Bullworth Academy didn't care about school. Jimmy could easily see why. Out of all the schools he had been to and gotten kicked out of, Bullworth was the only one where the cliques actually had uniforms and would openly pound the shit out of each other. It was also the only hellhole that had corrupted prefects, conspiring teachers, and a disgruntled chef. Yep, he could definitely understand how academics got lost within the frazzled kids' minds.

Surprisingly, the school's king thought a lot about the scholastic aspect of Bullworth. Well, maybe not a lot, but some. More than what people thought he did. Sure, his grades weren't great or anything, but he tried. Sometimes. He had not failed a single class, except for math once or twice. Okay, maybe he didn't actually give a crap about what the school had to offer in books. That didn't mean he wasn't interested in school though. He loved to walk down the halls, people shouting greetings and compliments to him. It was the one place he could escape from his problems lately. No kid. No boyfriend… no, not boyfriend. Annoyance. That was what Gord was. Jimmy nodded, reminding himself of how he felt.

Jimmy decided to go to school early, meaning about ten minutes before his first hour started. The past few days, Gord had been walking Troy to class. The two were getting along good enough to convince him that he didn't have to watch them so much. As he strolled into the somewhat heated building, he was not surprised to see a bigger crowd than usual. It was frickin' freezing outside. "Hey Jiiiimmy!" A familiar long-legged red haired girl cheerfully called out to him as he was kicking snow off his large black boots. People heard his name and suddenly there was a mob. They kept a respectful distance, allowing him to wave and soak in his glory. He smirked and kids beamed. "God is it good to be king." he arrogantly bragged out loud, not afraid of gaining any type of a poor reputation.

The peaceful worshipping circle did not maintain order as long as Jimmy had hoped it would. A familiar voice made sure that it was heard clearly throughout all the others. His hairs began to rise at the excited greeting of, "Jim!" Only two people dared to be so casual with the king in front of others and they were Petey and Gord. Too bad the voice carried more snobbery than Kowalski could ever manage. Within a few seconds Gord pushed through the wall of people, dragging something behind him. The ex-prep shooed his peers away, but they did not move a step until Hopkins gestured that it was okay. "Now be honest and tell me how much you love this!" he brightly cut to the chase. Immediately Jimmy knew he would hate whatever he was shown.

The brunette yanked forward the small boy that he had dragged up to the king of Bullworth. "What the hell…?" Was all Jimmy could summon up before bursting out in laughter at a Troy who was covering his face with his hands. Gord had been complaining that their ward needed a new look, but he never thought that he would get around to it. As Jimmy's laughter began to die down, he was able to eye up the new Troy better. The hair on the top of the kid's head had been pulled out of his face and stretched to the back where it was tied in a small light pink bow. His normal grungy clothes were nowhere to be seen and had been replace by some kind of white shirt under a corduroy blazer that was the same color as the hair ornament. The cuffs had to be turned up, revealing a striped pattern. Troy wore a pair of light colored pair of jeans that Jimmy surely thought should belong to a girl (couldn't something that tight hurt the chances of the kid ever having a kid himself one day?). The shoes he wore were also, to Jimmy's pain/amusement, the very same rose color. To top everything off, Gord had managed to slip a few silver chains around the poor kid's neck. "You _do _know that he's a guy, right?" he was finally able to ask.

"See!" Troy snapped, but it was ignored.

"What are you talking about?" The rich kid honestly seemed confused. "Our boy will become a little heartbreaker dressed like this."

"Only because any girls that might have liked him will think he's gay."

Gord scrunched up his long nose and narrowed his eyes. "For your information, this attire is _very _fashionable. It is an outfit that I used to wear as a child."

Jimmy stifled a chuckle. "That kinda proves my point, doesn't it?" Pouting was the thing that the preppie used to get out of any tight spot, so, sure enough, he crossed his arms and turned away slightly. "What the heck is in his hair?"

Not facing the king, Gord answered, "A ribbon, which is what royalty use to keep the hair out of their faces." The first bell of the day clanged obnoxiously in the emptying entryway. With one of his wide hands, Jimmy removed the necklaces from Troy's neck and then patted him on the back, signaling for him to scamper off to class while he still could. The kid got the message and ran off.

"So you used to wear these?" he asked, eyeing the shiny chains with disdain. Vendrome simply nodded. "What were they doing at the beach house? I thought I told you to only pack what you needed."

He shrugged, "Sometimes it is nice to be able to keep a reminder of childhood. Not all of us have families that are deprived of parenting skills you know."

"Let's just get to class."

`~***~`

Chemistry was boring. It always was. Disturbing could also be said about it, after seeing far too many public dates between Watts and Edna. Jimmy was supposed to be scribbling down answers to endless pre-lab questions like all the other students, but, having not bothered to take notes the past week or so, had no idea as to what was going on in class. Instead, he examined the three chains in his hands that Gord had not yet taken back. There was something interesting about them. Spots where the silver color was fading from the years were turning an ugly brown. _"I wonder why Rich Kid's parents didn't buy him expensive ones." _he apathetically pondered.

Gord. Without meaning to, his eyes naturally wandered towards the wealthy boy who sat on the other side of the cold classroom. Having been booted from the prep group, Gord was no longer allowed to wear his beloved Aquaberry clothes during school hours and escape being hassled by the prefects. Now he opted for a pair of khaki slacks and the dress shirt-sweater vest combo that he had purchased more than a year ago. _"Maybe he really is growing." _Jimmy thought when he noticed that the bottom of his friend's pants didn't even come close to reaching the top of his pricy Italian shoes. It looked dorky.

The prep never used to care anymore than Jimmy did about grades, but now, not wanting anyone from the school to contact his parents out of fear of them finding out about his new living arrangements, actually studied. He was sort of cute in an odd way when he was rapidly writing down equations on his paper, instead of bothering Hopkins by making childish faces. Jimmy focused in more when the ex-prep took a break from his pencil movements and twirled his wrist around a few times. He then stretched out his back by leaning forward over his black desk space. This pulled up his outgrown shirt, exposing an olive lower back. James smirked to himself once he noticed how interested he was in the sight. Maybe he liked having Gord around more than he wanted to admit.

`~***~`

Jimmy did not have any more classes with Gord, but that did not stop the preppie from stalking him the rest of the day. As the king attempted to march his way to his last hour, Gord showed up out of nowhere, taking his spot to the right. In front of them, Christy walked with a guy named Ivan. They were holding hands, but standing pretty far apart. James didn't take any more notice than thinking it was strange. Not everyone saw things the way he did though. He felt something warm latch onto one of his thick palms. Going with his first instinct, he shook it off. This was the part when Gord would normally settle for grabbing Jimmy's arm, which was something that he would normally not allow during school hours, but thought that he might this one time. After all, Gord had been a nice little distraction during a dull first block. No weight was put onto Jimmy's arm and no words were exchanged as they continued down the somewhat crowded hall. The king took a quick glance at Gord and then shrugged. His loss.

When they were about halfway to the gym and the number of people lowered, a hand grabbed for his again. Jimmy pulled his own away, but Gord's came right back. The ex-prep tried and failed another five times before stomping to a complete halt. James was able to take a few steps before he noticed the absence. He also stopped and turned to face Gord. "What?" he barked out a little more hostile than he meant. He didn't want to let his friend know that the innocent act bothered him as much as it did.

"Why won't you even let me hold your hand?"

"Oh." Jimmy looked down for a few seconds. Neither spoke in that time, so he tried to get away with, "I gotta get to class. See ya!"

"Do you even have the slightest care towards me?!" Gord retorted, his voice cracking and revealing that he was upset (when was he ever not?). The few people that were around stopped whatever they were doing and watched.

"Gord." he shifted uncomfortably on his feet and virtually begged, "Can we talk about this later?"

"Why is it that a whore can parade around her five-day-boyfriend, but I cannot even get close to the man I have loved and been with for months?" he snapped back, a bubble catching in his throat. "Are you ashamed of me? Am I not good enough!" His voice was getting louder and louder with each word. "It's not like you are in the closet or anything; you have fooled around with practically half the male population here!"

Hopkins raised his arms defensively. "C'mon now, that's a bit of an exaggeration." He wished that every pair of eyes could have been a dagger he could use to kill himself right there and then.

"I love you James Hopkins and I know you feel the same way about me."

"W-What?" his words tensely stumbled out. Gord just stared him down. "Sure, I think you're great and junk like that." More stares. "I'm kind of… well a little maybe… fond of having you around…?" Although this felt like a huge step forward for the fretting, pissed king, it did not appear to have any good effect on Gord.

"You can't even say it!" he shouted at Jimmy before tearfully taking off.

Everything stood still for what seemed an eternity. "C'mon now people," the floored king started. "We all know how Gord can be." This seemed to satisfy the watchers who nodded and garbled agreement before departing.

"Even I know that I fucked up royally this time." Jimmy sourly muttered to no one in particular as he returned to walking to gym.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **Magz does not own any rights to the Bully game.

**Author's Note: **Wednesday morning I will be leaving for an adventure to North Dakota (pretty exciting state, right?), so I will not be able to post any new chapters until Saturday or Sunday. I should be able to put up quite a few though, so that's good.

**Ps: **Did you know that I have used some form of the word 'eye' in every single chapter so far?

* * *

**Kai19999: **Thanks! I'm somewhat afraid that the big bang of my story won't be dramatic enough. ;-; That's probably just me being worrisome though.

**EvilChick101: **I'm trying to actually give Troy a personality, but it's kinda hard. The only reason I created him was so that I could name the story after Lola's quote. I never even noticed that there was already a character named Troy though. . Thanks for the review!

* * *

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Fourteen

Gord stepped out into a biting winter breeze, chilling twin trails of tears that had already fallen down his cheeks. The thought of going to his locker and grabbing his black wool coat had crossed his mind, but he dismissed it upon seeing Troy chatting up a young lady all too close to it. He knew that girls would love the new clothes. Now he was left standing outside the main doors, freezing, with nowhere to go. There was no chance that he would attend his last class. No, he simply could not let anymore see what a mess he had become. He could not head back to the beach house either though. "Oh maybe I am just overreacting." he moaned to himself, beginning to take careful steps down the icy stairs. Not wanting to be caught skipping by one of the blue-suited gorilla prefects, he left school grounds. He just walked and walked until he stopped. Gord looked around. He had ended up standing at the end of the weathered dock, looking out at a polluted lake. Inside he felt almost empty, leaving his body numb to the cold, a worthless weight too heavy to support. Gord crumbled and sat down in the snow, dangling his feet over the edge. He just sat.

It was a long time before anyone disrupted his dreary peace, the material of his pants had somewhat begun to stick to the surface he was seated upon. Gord stopped crying after a short while though. Contemplating the situation allowed him to give some thought about Jim's point of view. In the middle of a petite crowd of people who James demanded respect from, Gord had sprung upon their personal life, even bringing up subjects they had never addressed aloud. "It was rather silly of me to become so worked up over this." he told himself as he had begun to stand. The prep felt better. Not completely content yet, but the sad emotions inside of him had let up a little.

Before Gord could turn around, probably to stroll down to the beach house and prepare an apology and a hot cup of anything, a rather large shadow fell upon him. "Hey Gordo, what was silly for you to get all worked up about?" The former prep actually gulped, recognizing a frighteningly familiar accent.

Cowering a touch, Gord faced the man behind him. The man whose height soared far beyond his own. The man who was a leader, not a follower. The man who scared Gord senseless ever since he was caught fooling around with his tramp more than a year ago. "V-Vincent!" he shakily greeted. He knew that he should not show weakness in front of Johnny, but it was incredibly hard not to. Summoning up all of his snobby courage by reminding himself that no matter what the greaser did Gord would always be richer, he was able to say, "I have already apologized and paid you off a multitude of times. So if you'd please, just leave me alone, I am not in the mood." without his voice cracking too much. As he tried to brush past the greasy leader, he was somewhat roughly stopped by a hand latching onto his shoulder.

"Oh come on, Gordy ol' boy. I ain't trying to mess with ya or nothin'. Can't a guy just wonder what's upsettin' one of his old classmates?"

Gord shook a little, from both fear and the cold finally beginning to set in. "I am not quite sure what you are talking about; I am fine."

"You don't look it." The smaller of the two turned up his nose indignantly at having his words (no matter how false they were) questioned by someone so far below him. The gesture gave Gord the unpleasant chance to catch a glimpse of mangled flesh that had once been an earlobe, making his stomach churn. "Congratulations on snaggin' Hopkins, by the way." Johnny never loosened his painfully tight grip.

"How do you know about us?"

"I would neva ditch my clique and they would neva ditch me. I get all of Bullworth's news, especially junk about the great king." Gord just nodded, not sure of what the strong, scary male wanted with him. "Always knew he wasn't swingin' for the same team as me. Ain't no straight man that can resist my Lola while working so close with her." Gord quickly remembered some of Jimmy's boasting about how he had gotten further with the grease harlot than the prep. He, as anyone person that was right in the head, felt that it would be unwise to bring up any such things. "I remember when he was with that blonde kid for awhile. Whatever happened with that, they seemed so happy an' all?"

"They were not right for one another."

"Not like you and Jimbo?" Although Gord could not imagine that this rhetorical question was innocent, he was unable to detect any sort of malicious undertone. "Man, those two would sure go at it. Everywhere too: dorms, school hallways, classroom. Hell, I even caught them screwin' around in that old abandoned bus." Gord gritted his teeth, trying his best to block out the oaf's meaningless words. "What was blondy's name anyways?" The greaser snapped his free hand a few times, as if the motion would somehow pull up the answer. "Tad, Trent… Troy?"

The last possibility made Gord wince and he was starting to feel his recently dry eyes well up once again. "Trent." the simple answer came out no more than a whisper.

"Yeah, that sounds 'bout right. Trent and Jimmy. Jimmy and Trent. Musta screwed up real big to get Jim to leave him; kid was so attached." The tears were no longer willing to be kept back. Gord was on a shabby dock, being held captive by one of his worst enemies, and crying. If only someone could dispose of the mess that had once been a proper wealthy youth right then.

The prep honestly thought that he might have died from shame had a voice not called out and saved him. "Hey Mockingbird!" Vance was exiting from the bicycle shop quite a ways from where Gord stood. He had no idea how the greaser was able to see him so far away, when, if he had not shouted, Gord was unsure if he would even be able to recognize him. "Johnny?" he questioned loud enough to let the suspicion register in their ears. His pace quickened and soon Vance was right up with the other two. Vincent removed his grubby hand from Gord. "I thought I told you not to mess none with him." The prep was surprised at how threatening his friend sounded to the leader.

"What? You think I was the one what gave him all dem pretty tears?" Vance just stood firmly. "We was just talkin' about mighty Jimmy, that's all. Ain't that right, Gordo?"

Gord weakly nodded, leaving his friend to say, "But you guys are all done now, right?"

"Yeah. See ya round." Johnny jerked his head upwards before stalking off.

Gord barely waited a second after Vincent disappeared from sight before flinging himself at his _very _close friend. "Oh Vance!" he gasped without dignity into the greaser's ear as he clung tightly to him. He let his tears flow freely now, feeling a familiar sense of security. "You always seem to be my knight in wretched cow-skinned armor."

The slightly shorter greaser firmly held Gord to keep him from pulling away, not that he wanted to do so. "An' I always will be… unless you ain't good with that."

"With what? The atrocious attire or the heroic behavior?" They both laughed, Gord's bringing on hollow wheezes for air and more teardrops. When they finally let go of each other, they remained close enough so that their clouds of breath mingled. Vance loosely held one of the prep's wrists, but he did not care so much at that moment.

"What was Johnny doing to you?"

"Oh, that." Gord shook his head, sighing in annoyance at his foolishness. "He was actually attempting to play nice; at least, I think he was."

"Then what's got ya so worked up?"

"Well, I had a bit of a spat with Jim earlier." Vance did not look surprised. The word had probably made its way around the whole school by then. "How am I to face him now?" Gord pathetically moaned aloud. "I have made such a big mess out of everything!"

A thumb with dirt trapped under its nail began to slowly move back and forth across Gord's chilled skin. "Ya know, from what I heard, I think he's the one at fault."

"Come again?"

"Hopkins is in the wrong. If I had someone like you, I wouldn't be 'fraid to tell how much I cared about them no matta who was listening! I don't think you care if you find the right person." Vance's inviting hand let go and was soon brushing Gord's pink tearstained cheek. "Mockingbird, you are worth enough to know exactly what some guy thinks of you."

Next was when Vance did something truly unfair. Gord leaned in and brashly pushed his frozen lips onto the greaser's, wanting to forget about all of his troubles. Vance did not stop the confused, hurt prep. In fact, he deepened the wrong kiss by gripping the back of the brunette's head with one hand and the middle of his back with his other one. "You're so cold." the auburn haired male mumbled. It was the last thing he would be able to say before a desperate Gord parted his lips.

Gord would not make it back to the beach house that night, but would wake the next morning with a nonalcoholic hangover in Bullworth's boy dorm.


	15. Chapter 15

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Disclaimer:

Magz does not own Bully.

**Author's Note: **I had a lot of homework tonight. I drank half an energy drink to stay awake and now here I am, three hours later, still shaking. Haha. I can't get to sleep, so I decided to write this chapter.

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**Animeflamechick****: **I love stories that are about more than one couple! There are still a few pairings that will arise in later chapters of this fic.

**Kai19999:** Aw, thanks! I'm going to a town of less than two hundred people though (I'm not even exaggerating), so it probably won't be that magical of a week. I hope you are right about your feeling! ^-^

**EvilChick101: **I love Vance, but I actually do not like Johnny very much. I'm not overly fond of Derby either though, so maybe I just have a thing against the clique leaders. ^-^; You are too kind. :3

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A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Fifteen

That time of year always made it difficult for Petey to concentrate. In just seventeen days, Bullworth would have its week of winter holiday vacation, making every student feel itchy as they sat in dreaded desks, waiting to be set free. Every student except Pete that was. He never seemed to be able to join them in their longing day dreams to be at home, surrounded by presents and loving family. He knew he would be forced to stay at school with the other boys who had a rejecting home. Remembering the past years, he sighed and looked up from his endless paperwork. There was a window above his tilted desk and outside feathery cotton candy like flurries were drifting down. No worries weighted them down on their peaceful descent. Kowalski knew that he would never be able to finish calculating grade reductions in the mindset he held.

)-v---

Petey had packed both his head boy and school work neatly into a simple black messenger bag before soundlessly leaving his room, the dorm building, and Bullworth grounds all together. When he left it had already been five 'til ten, so he figured it had to be around eleven-thirty by the time he reached a tagged Blue Skies road sign. He knew it was an incredibly stupid idea to leave so late on a winter night, especially since the only warm clothes he had were a puffy dark navy coat and a matching knitted hat and mittens. Something inside of him decided to go for it anyways though. It was a strange new feeling, dependency.

Most of Gary's neighbors tried to make their dreary trailer park into a more cheery place by decorating for the holidays. The singlewide to the right of his friend's home had bright red and green lights strung around the roof. It was a shame that more than half of the bulbs were missing or blown out. A townie, whose family lived on the other side of Smith, had set up a plastic Santa Claus and three reindeer that were plugged into an outlet somewhere inside via an extension cord. Petey was not surprised that his boyfriend had neglected to do anything special.

His knocks on the cheap front door came feable. Thick violet curtains were drawn, so Pete could not take a peek inside. A bad feeling that made its home in his stomach returned. _"I sure do hope he's home." _he thought to himself, pounding three more times. The chance that Gary would be out was slim to none. Smith spent most of his free time resting for a job that could barely pay for his home, food, and medication. It was a pathetic excuse for a life, but thinking about it made Petey feel uncomfortable. What would happen when the head boy graduated the following year? He had planned his whole life on going to college, getting a good job, and then rising in the ranks, but could he really leave his psycho behind? Sure Gary could try and tag along, moving to a cheap room wherever Kowalski's future university was, only, could he afford it? How many places would hire a non-high school graduate fulltime, especially one with a rep like Gary? It was not fair that they both had their whole lives ahead of them, but only one had a chance of doing something with it.

No one ever came and answered the door, but that was okay; Petey had a spare key. He let himself in, taking utmost care in being quiet at first. He imagined that Gary was already passed out on top of the sheets on his bed, probably only wearing boxers despite the cold. Pete planned to turn on the kitchen light and attempt to finish half of the stack of papers he had to fill out. His plan was ruined as soon as he walked through the door and looked to the right where the open living room was located. (There were actually only two rooms that were separated by private walls: the bedroom and the bathroom. The front door led straight into the kitchen that was only separated from the living room by where the linoleum stopped and brown shaggy carpet began.) The tall floor lamp next to the lime green, stuffing missing, two-person sofa was turned on to the brightest level. The TV was blaring. No doubt a VCR tape was playing, since Gary received no signal.

"Gare?" Pete closed the door behind him and kicked his shoes off. Before entering any further, he bent down and neatly arranged the sneakers against a wall.

Gary was lounged in the middle of the couch, both arms stretching out on the back. A much smaller, hat wearing person was comfortably leaning into his side. Neither of them bothered to remove their eyes from the television set. "Hey Petey. I thought you did grunt work for Crabblebitch and Danvers Friday nights."

The petite body next to the scarred man turned his head to get a glimpse at Pete. "Hi!" Troy brightly greeted before yawning.

"Hey buddy." he responded with a half wave before treading further into the house. "You were right there and you couldn't answer the door for me?"

"Would there be any point in my doing that?" Gary did not sound at all annoyed with his younger boyfriend's nagging. "I gave you a key for a reason." Never ungluing his eyes, he patted down on the little space left that was next to him. Petey set his bag down on top of his shoes and proceeded to slip off his coat and lie it down a little farther away from his other items. It was quite chilly inside so, like Troy, he decided to leave his hat and mittens on.

The three of them spoke very little until the movie was over. It was an old cartoon film about a boy who could travel into storybooks and how he met a twelve year old, overly breasted, female fairy who he fell in love with and needed to save from an evil English rhino. Jimmy must have bought it for his unofficial ward. Gary laughed a few times, declaring it was amazingly camp. Each time he moved, it would jostle Troy awake, who would fall asleep again on Smith within minutes. The older two decided that it would be a good idea to let the child be alone in a darkened living room for the rest of the night.

Pete disappeared into the bedroom that had little room for anything but the oversized bed first. Gary soon joined him, after rewinding the tape and shutting off all lights but the bathroom's and the one in the room they now stood in. "So what's Troy doing here anyways?"

"Hopkins barged in about an hour before you did. He said that Gord went missing or something and that he wanted to go look for him."

"Gord's missing?" Petey questioned with concern.

"Wonderful," Gary rolled his eyes. Without hesitation, he began to unbutton his baggy thin jean work shirt that had grease stains on it. A year ago, when Smith was still safe at school and his family willing to pay for him to live, Pete would have thoroughly enjoyed watching the taller male strip off his clothing. Now though, a chest that had once proudly boasted some lines of definition, was thinning and allowing ribs to show. "We have established that you can, in fact, hear." His pants went next before he sloppily flopped down on his bed, folding up his arms under the back of his head. "They had a lover's quarrel and Preppie Boy ran off."

"I heard about the fight." Kowalski shifted his weight to his left foot and then back to his right. "Jim wouldn't say that he loved Gord." He empathetically looked down with a small frown.

"Ha," the taller one arrogantly started. "Yet another thing that I can do better than Hopkins."

"What?"

"Relationships. I cream the king in relationships." Petey shrugged, unsure if it was the truth or not. An annoyed look crossed his boyfriend's face. "You have got to be fucking kidding me. Do you honestly think that fat asshole makes a better partner than me?" The head boy kept his mouth shut. "Speak femme."

Very quietly, timidly, Pete finally replied with a growing bother in the pit of his stomach, "You won't kiss me in front of people."

Gary chuckled softly. Did a trace of relief brush against his tired features? "But that's just personal taste. Even if I was the straightest piece of man candy around, I wouldn't fool around with my super model wife in public. Would you really want me to slobber all over you with the crowds of pigheaded bigots watching?"

His frown didn't dissipate. "I guess not."

"However, if the moment ever came along when someone asked, I would admit how I felt about you."

"Really?" He was beginning to warm up a little.

"Hell yes. I am not ashamed of any of the things we do." The touches of a shy smile tugged at the corners of the head boy's mouth, but it soon disappeared with the next comment. "I'm not even embarrassed by the things I do to you."

"Gare." Pete warned, but, of course, it was ignored.

Gary's thin lips curled into a devilish grin. "And I am pretty damn happy about all the things you do to me." A rose color filled the face of the younger teen. "Are you coming to bed or what? I'm tired out from having to watch goddamn Hopkins' ward all night."

)-v---

Petey woke up early the next morning, light from the sun barely making it through the bedroom window with the curtains tied open. Besides his hat and one mitten slipping off sometime during the night, Kowalski was very much the same as he was before he retired. Gary was still asleep, mumbling a little. He was actually latched onto the shorter boy's side, which was a surprise; usually, he was too restless of a sleeper to stay in one place too long. If Pete did move onto college alone, he was sure that he would miss these calm moments the most.

"Mhmm, Femme… what time is it?" Smith garbled. He must not have been completely unconscious.

Petey knew that he would be unable to move from Gary's grasp, so he did not even embarrass himself by attempting it. Instead, he just estimated his answer by the height of the sun. "Around five."

"I wonder if Troy is one of those monsters that wake up early." The head boy doubted it after thinking about the child's school parents. "You know, I'm kind of attached to that brat."

"So am I." Pete smiled softly.

"His eyes brightened up so much as soon as I opened the door last night. You should have seen it." Kowalski wrongly assumed that the sincere statement was nothing short of sweet. It made him want to throw away his life, just so he could crawl along the bottom of society forever with Gary.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Bully game.

**Author's Note: **I didn't really get a whole lot of writing done this week, which really sucks. I spent too much time playing around on my old Harvest Moon: Cute ds game. It made me curious though, so before I put up this chapter, I decided to look up Harvest Moon on here. There are almost three thousand fics written about that game! (and only four are GrayXKai which is the best couple) I was just like: C'mon people, really? I know it's an awesome game and everything, but it's about farming. **Farming! **Bully should have way more. …Oh and I wish a belated Happy Tofurkey Day to you all! ^-^

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**EvilChick101: **My trip was dull, but it was the kind of dull that puts a smile on one's face. :3 This chapter is Bif and Derby, but I feel that I cannot write them quite as well as you. I love your story! ^-^

**AmishGazebo: **Aw, thanks! It is always nice to read your reviews.

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A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Sixteen

Bif was becoming accustomed to the queasy feeling he had been harboring of late. Nearly every night since they had constructed Plan Northwick, Derby would interrogate him on whether or not the first move had been made yet. The boxer did not like the idea of his involvement at all, but it was too late now. The scheme had already been set in motion.

Earlier that day, word had been passed around campus about a little spat that Jimmy and Gord had. Less than thirty minutes after the final bell had rung, when Bif was climbing the last few polished steps to get to his room, Derby contacted him. The blonde had been leaning back against Bif's door, keeping his arms crossed his chest. (Lord, what a beautifully sculpted chest.)

"Bif, you have kept me waiting." was his relaxed greeting. The simple, harmless words instantly sent morally wrong images to the redhead's mind.

To keep suspicion off, he shrugged, "We didn't have plans."

Derby pushed forward, coming a step or two closer. From somewhere on the back of his form, he pulled out a rather large manila envelope. (Had it been tucked inside his pants, so close to that forbidden area?) With comfort of a jock level, he tossed the thin envelope to Bif. "Northwick shall be in front of that barber shop in New Coventry around eight o'clock tonight."

Eyeing the packet now in his own hands, the boxer questioned, "How do you know?"

"I have done more than enough. All you must do is make sure that Jimmy and Trent meet." Derby gracefully pushed back some of his silky blonde hair with one hand, letting his full gaze be centered on Taylor. (If only that gorgeous mouth called out the level of allure that his stunning eyes did.)

It was no surprise that Bif found Hopkins at seven ten and lied about Gord disappearing into New Coventry to do laundry.

`~***~`

Now all it seemed Bif could do was wait outside the Final Cut. Already it was fifteen past eight and he had seen no glimpse of either Jimmy or Trent. Hopkins he was not worried about in the least; the bully had informed him that he would drop off the future king of Bullworth at a friend's before checking around for his missing boyfriend. Northwick on the other hand… well Bif was reluctant to admit it, but he was a tad bit afraid of him. The guy was just so impetuous and violent. There was no telling what he would do or who he would hurt if he discovered Plan Northwick. Derby was the one who wrote the conniving play the redhead was now in, therefore no errors should have arrived. The boxer felt some comfort in reminding himself of that fact.

After another five minutes and no sign of the two boys, Bif's faith in his leader began to dwindle away. Gord might have returned home or ran into Jimmy before he had a chance to make it to New Coventry. The envelope that the boxer still held in his hands could have not been enough to lure Trent into their little trap. _"What will Derby think of me if I cannot reunite Northwick with Hopkins?" _Bif began to fret to himself in a very unmanly way. _"How can I prove myself to him if I am the one who messes up the plan that he thought up of all by himself?"_

It was when sweat had started to form on the top of his forehead that a voice snuck up behind Bif. "Yo, pretty boy better had kept up his end of the deal or else he's gonna get some of my world famous pound cake." Bif was not at all surprised when he turned to face the very short jock. He had, after all, not been able to fight his temptation of peering inside of the envelope.

"You are late. Where is Northwick?" The much taller and broader of the two was not at all intimidated by the menacing look Kirby was trying to pull off.

"First things first, where are the pictures?"

Bif took a sudden step closer to the jock, making the petit one redden a little as he flinched. "I believe I asked you first."

"Look, he said he couldn't be here for another half an hour. Had other plans." Bif grinded his teeth a little. "Can I get them back now?"

The boxer roughly tossed the envelope at the pauper's sneakers. "I must say, I was quite surprised at how dominant you can be." he chuckled evilly, though not nearly as cold as Derby could.

Kirby wasted no time snatching up the condemning photos. "Yeah, well at least I'm not afraid to screw around with the people I want to." He puffed his chest out.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The jock began to walk away, boldly tossing back, "There's a whole lot of men around this area, ya know? You don't have to play all by yourself." Bif reddened at the outrageous implication. He did not say or do anything to prove Kirby wrong though, telling himself that he could not risk being seen with the jock by Trent any longer.

`*~~~*`

It was no less than five minutes later that the distant voices of an unconventional family traveled into Bif's ears. Off in the distance he spotted Jimmy and Troy entering the street that ran parallel to the one he was on. "Why the hell would he be wandering way out here?" Hopkins bitched loud enough for someone far away like the boxer to hear. He quickly gave some thought to how the child might interfere with the plan. The only problem he could think of was that Jimmy might be less likely to associate himself with Trent if he was with Troy, but Bif highly doubted this would happen; Jimmy did whatever Jimmy wanted, even if he was supposed to be a role model. "Just because Gord made friends with one greaser, doesn't mean that the others are gonna play nice with him."

"_Gord's friends with another greaser…impossible." _Bif thought to himself. _"Unless he's referring to that Vance kid again."_

`*~~~*`

That evening seemed to be one of waiting, for that is what Bif was forced to do for another long period of time. The boxer gave up on waiting around outside the same shop for Northwick and decided to go search for him. He had already scaled the whole pitiable town twice and was about to wander throughout random streets, when he laid his eyes on the target of the night. Now it was time to figure out what the hell he should do. About ten minutes earlier he had viewed Jimmy leaving Blue Skies alone, so he couldn't have gotten too far. He was probably still bumbling his way to the laundry mat to search for his boyfriend who (hopefully) wasn't there. Bif would just try and have faith in a plan with so many faults.

"Hey Northwick!" Bif shouted as loud as he could manage. It attracted the attention of Trent who turned to face him, but did not bother to close the vast distance between them.

"What?"

The boxer was going to have to think of something irritating enough to make Northwick go after him. "Remember Angie?" Man, his throat was going to be sore in the morning.

"Who the fuck are you?" The blonde took a few steps forward.

Best to keep it impersonal, "A student at Bullworth."

"How does it concern you? Are you her boyfriend or something?"

The mere image of having to kiss or hump the female made the boxer nearly gag. "No. Her parents are loyal customers at the bank my daddy owns." This was a complete lie. Bif had no idea whether or not she still had parents and his family was no where even close to owning banks, but the story seemed to make sense to the small brained bully, who nodded and edged forward some more. Neither spoke again until Trent was about five feet away. The redhead may have had a height advantage and years of boxing knowledge, but he was still startled by the masses of muscle that Northwick considered his arms. _"Maybe this wasn't so smart."_ Bif was a tad worried. _"But this is for Derby. My Derby." _he told himself, happily ignoring the possessive pronoun. "Hey barbarian, why don't you see if you can break my nose?"

Bif was proud to be able to start a chase scene worthy of motion pictures. Sure his lungs burned by the third wrong turn he took to get to the damn barber shop and he was somewhat embarrassed to be seen running from an imbecile who shouted generic insults the entire time, but he was doing something right. The boxer breathlessly beamed, just before a patch of concealed ice took place under his feet. The world before his eyes fell with his body. Nervously, he checked behind him, sure to see the bloodthirsty lunatic ready to pounce. Luck was truly with the redhead that day though, for there was no Trent even on the same street as him. "That's funny," Bif mumbled to himself as he tenderly raised his aching behind off the sidewalk. "I don't remember being so far ahead." The boxer stood still for a few uneasy moments and still there was no sign of his chaser. Afraid that he may have lost him, Bif began to back track down the street as onlookers stared strangely at him.

It was four blocks when Tremblay finally found the man he was looking for. Trent must have seen Hopkins, because now the two were loudly, rudely, excitedly conversing. The smaller one gave his long missed friend's new arms an appreciative squeeze. By the smile on Jimmy's face, it was obvious that there would be no more searching for Gord that night. Bif felt bad for a moment, but then remembered that he could go and tell Derby all about how his ingenious plan worked.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Bully game, but I did write this story that has ten times the gayness of the video game. That counts for something, right? ^-^

**Author's Note: **I'm too nervous to sleep (I start a new trimester tomorrow and I'm going to be a TA), so I decided to write out this short chapter with jittery fingers. *fights urge to put a smiley face*

**EvilChick101: **Haha, why thank you very much!

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Seventeen

Gord was lovingly nestled under his boyfriend's arm as they sat on the common room's couch. It had been nearly a week since their last argument and the two seemed closer than ever. No longer did Gord have the desire to nag Jimmy about their relationship. In return, James was allowing more and more contact in public. Just days ago, the prep would have never dreamed of being seated in the position that he was in in the dorms, but there he was, in a dreamlike state.

Unfortunately, Gord's passive behavior that was benefitting the relationship was a result of an atrocity. Six days ago, he found himself having to sneak out of Vance's room very early in the morning. They had spent the past night simply holding each other and kissing a little. Gord could have confessed to Jimmy, he could have ignored the greaser or broken it off with him, but he did not do either of those things. Instead, he tried his best to act normal in front of his boyfriend, while running off with Vance every couple of nights. Lying to the boy he loved the most, the one he threw everything away for, nearly brought vile to his throat. He was afraid that, at the moment, the affair was too valuable to end. Gord needed the release so that he would not push James away with his selfish desires.

Kowalski had invited Jimmy to hang out with him at the dorms earlier in the day. For one of the first times, Jim actually seemed to want Gord to tag along. Naturally, Troy came with the two of them. At first they just sat around the shabby (at best) living area, making awkward small talk, while the brat just stared at his feet. After the light amount of snowfall they were having that year was mentioned five times, Peter took Troy over to the old arcade game. It was adorable to watch them, though the ex-prep would never admit that he felt that way. The brat had to stand on a box to be able to properly see the screen.

"Did you actually think that I would survive two minutes in a rubbish heap like this?" Gord jokingly mumbled to his boyfriend, timidly bringing his head to lay on James' chest. Besides Troy and the head boy, the place was completely abandoned. Guess it was rare for kids to want to stay in before it was required.

"The beach house was way worse than this before Troy cleaned it up."

"Mm, so it was." Gord all but purred. He was not sure if he had ever felt so relaxed and joyful at the same time. The atmosphere was so comfortable, that the prep felt safe to teasingly say his next comment. "You know Jim, I'm kind of fond of having you around." Out of instincts, he braced himself for a bad reaction.

Jimmy laughed deeply, gently shaking Gord's head, and patted him on the knee. "I love you too." The great king of Bullworth might have actually reddened a little, but Gord could never be sure; James had turned his face away too quickly to be sure. The slightly taller of the two wanted to taunt his boyfriend a little. He craved to be able to say: "Haha, I knew you did!" But he was able to resist. The fact that Jim admitted his feelings was nothing short of a miracle, and the prep was now, after all the time they had been together, able to recognize and appreciate this.

"Hey guys, I have to go now, Head Boy business." Kowalski informed them after a few minutes of silent post confession time. The short, pink shirted boy was now standing in front of the couple. Troy was by his side. "I'm really sorry. I forgot all about it!"

"Chill Pete, it's alright." Jimmy's voice cracked a tiny bit, but everyone ignored it.

"Farewell Kowalski."

"Bye Petey." Troy said. The brat genuinely looked saddened by the departure.

Before shuffling out the door, Peter half waved, "Well, see you guys."

Gord motioned to also rise, but was pulled back by Jimmy. "Let's just hang around here some more." An instant glaze covered Troy's eyes.

"I believe that the child is just about bored to death."

"Turn on the TV and watch something violent." Jim ordered the small boy, who happily complied.

`~***~`

All three of them stayed like that, undisturbed, for two and a half police shows. Troy sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes glued to the television set. Jimmy held Gord on the uncomfortable couch as they too watched. A smile was plastered on everyone's face. They were nearly like a normal American family. _"This could be a Christmas card picture moment." _Gord contently mused to himself.

With a glance at his real gold watch, the tranquil family scene came to an end. "Oh goodness, I am late!" Gord hopped up. Only Troy looked somewhat curious, for Gord had told Jimmy alone that he had plans to go out to dinner with a friend.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that." James just slouched back further. Troy joined him on the sofa. "Who're you going with anyways? Bif?"

Gord nearly paled. Could he tell him the true identity of the person he would be spending the better part of the rest of the evening with? In the past, he had not hid that he accompanied his greaser after taking Troy shopping. Jimmy seemed perfectly fine with that. "Vance is taking me out for hamburgers. He has been very supportive after my abandonment."

"Oh." Jimmy just nodded and motioned for Gord to get out of the way of the television screen. Not every thing in their relationship could be corrected with the wrong. As Gord opened the front door, Jim called back, "I've got some things to do later on and they might take awhile. I'm just gonna drop Troy off with Gary."

"I see." Gord answered, wanting to just emerge himself in the cold, instead of only exposing half of his body to the bitter wind. "I hope you will enjoy yourself."

There was shrugging movements. "You'll probably have more fun than me."

"I am sure." The rich boy quietly mumbled to himself, before saying with more volume, "Have a good night you two!" He blew Jimmy the kiss he had forgotten to gently press down on his lips.

It was somewhat of a surprise when Vance appeared by the front gates of the school. "How did you know where I was?" Gord asked with a slight shock smile, a grin he could easily say he had never put on before.

"Heard it around." The tad bit taller male quickly slipped out of his beaten leather jacket, revealing a very tight, black, long-sleeved shirt that was hidden underneath. "You cold?"

The ex-prep peered down at his recently outdated Aquaberry sweater. "A little."

Facing him, Vance lifted the jacket above Gord before slipping it onto the back of his shoulders. The greaser used the article of clothing to pull the rich boy close. They brought their mouths together, but things did not go very well. Gord kept accidentally disconnecting them by beaming. "You seem happy tonight." Vance murmured after giving up and lowering his face. His cold, chapped lips danced across the thin skin of the brunette's neck.

Gord wanted to proudly shout out the enormous step forward that Jimmy took. He wanted to brag about how amazing he had felt before going to Vance. What he did not want to do was upset his couple-of-hours date and cut into their fun time, so he bottled up the reasons for his smiles. "I am just so excited to see you." Pleased, the greaser laughed in a low tone and they giddily made off to the tenements.

_…a normal family…_


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **Nothing but this here little old story belongs to me.

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry this took me so long to put up. I've had some stressy crud going on, but at least I'm back to writing now. The next chapter is going to be a JimmyXTrent (or should I say TrentXJimmy) if that entices anyone. I'm not sure if this chapter is worth the wait or not, but I think it's alright.

**EvilChick101: **Thank you for the review. You are just a bundle of joy and a half! :3 I'm trying to make Gord a tiny tiny bit deeper than "ooo Aquaberry." Haha.

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Eighteen

_"Man, if we could have kids, they'd sure be ugly." _Vance lightly thought to himself as he studied the profile of the guy strolling along besides him. Gord had a long thin nose, while the Greaser's honker was pretty damn wide. Both of them managed to pull their snouts off quite finely, in his opinion. No poor sucker could get away with both faults though. _"I'd still do it. And not just cause it'd be funny to see what a greaser and a prep would make either."_

They were leaving Old Vale on a Sunday afternoon. Loaded people that seemed to be everywhere gave Vance disgusted glares, but he didn't mind none. The only rich bitch he needed was his mockingbird; the rest just didn't matter.

Vance knew they were in the bright public and Gord had warned him that he wasn't gonna risk anymore dumb moves in front of people. The greaser could understand this, but what he failed to grasp was why the rich kid wasn't even looking at him. A little frown tugged at the corners of the brunette's lips and it sorta hurt Vance to watch it deepen.

"What's the word Mockingbird?"

"Hm?" was the only glum response he got.

"You're lookin' pretty down in the dumps."

"Oh," Gord just kept his face lowered down to the ground like a sad little pup. "It is nothing."

"C'mon now Gordy, I've known ya for how long now? It's never nothin'."

"Am I the only one who thinks what we just did was absolutely horrible?" Finally, the lost gaze made its way up to Vance for the first time since they started walking. His eyes were large, but, thankfully, they were dry. Vance could not think of anything that they had done wrong yet; their little date had only just started.

_The greaser had arrived at the beach home earlier than he meant to. Gord had promised him that they could play a little in New Coventry, but only if Vance walked him there and back. Even though Vendrome was kicked out of the preppie group, he still put up with a lot of shit from the greasers. If only he had not played it straight for Lola._

_Vance actually strolled up the shaky ramp and knocked right on the front door. He figured that he had not become an enemy in Jimmy's mind yet, and he could barely wait for the sweet taste of a certain boy to be on his lips. The door was open soon after his fist touched it, though it took him a little longer to see the person who answered it. He looked down and saw Troy staring up at him, holding the door open only a crack. The tiny blonde seemed to be glaring a bit, which he thought was sorta strange, but he ignored it. "Hey there." Troy just nodded. "Is Gord around?"_

_From inside he could he his Mockingbird's somewhat startled little voice call, "Vance?"_

_Apparently he was not alone though. "Hey man, come in." Jimmy invited. Quickly, the greaser scanned his tone for any signs of jealousy or bitterness. None were found, so he took the heavy door from the kid and let himself in. On the floor, the 'great' Hopkins was lying on his not-so-flat stomach and Gord was resting on his knees besides him. A square game board with colorful pieces was laid out before them. Troy quickly jumped back to his spot across from the couple and inspected the layout for any cheating. "We were just playing some Trouble. Wanna join in?" So the king would stand to play children's games, huh? _

"_Uh, no that's okay." He glanced at all four of Gord's plastic thimbles that were in his safety zone. "It looks like you guys are almost done anyways."_

"_Hey!" Jimmy barked. It was meant to be playful, but Vance still jumped. "It ain't over 'til it's over." That was something that the person in last place could be expected to say._

"_I just came over to pick up Gord; we were gonna go hang out 'round New Coventry, if that's okay."_

_Jimmy shrugged, "It's not like this is a prison." Troy raised an eyebrow. Was the little brat more suspicious than Jimmy himself? There was a loud popping sound as Hopkins pushed down a plastic dome in order to roll the dice._

"_I am going to go get dressed." Gord announced before taking off into a back room. There must have been a bathroom since a sink could be heard running within moments. He prayed that the ex-prep would hurry, despite having the knowledge of just how long it usually took his sweet little ass to get ready._

"_How're things for the Greasers?" Jimmy asked as he counted spaces forward with a stubby finger._

"_Pretty good, I guess."_

"_Cool. The jocks started acting out recently, so it's been hard for me to check out the other cliques." Vance nodded. After one of the nerds put the moves on a cheerleader, the sport heads wanted to retaliate. He heard around that Jimmy was handling the situation smoothly. "How's Zoë? She and Hank still going out?" There was no way that the great king could have not seen the two macking somewhere._

"_Yeah."_

"_Good for them." It did not come out nearly as sour as Vance would have thought._

_Nothing much else was said. Troy managed to beat Jimmy at their game, so they started a new one. Gord finally came back out, newly dressed in a pair of light jeans and a pretty yellow sweater with a white collar and cuffs. "I think we shall be leaving." _

"_Well have fun doing whatever the hell you two do." Jimmy rose to his feet. He placed one of his dirty, sweaty, fat hands on Gord's hip, using it to pull the natural brunette close to him. Vance watched in horror as his blushing friend shared a very passionate movie-like departure kiss with his boyfriend. It lasted far too long, making the greaser ball up his fists and look away in disgust._

"_Geeze, you two gotta do that in front of the kid?" Vance felt that he had to put a stop to the defiling of his Mockingbird or he might blow chunks all over their merry little shit hole. They pulled away, both looking pretty embarrassed. Jimmy was wearing a pissed expression too._

_Very matter-of-factly, Troy piped up, "I don't got a problem with it. It's not like they're doing it in front of me."_

"_I will meet you outside, Vance." Gord ordered and the greaser complied happily. Since when did Hopkins even touch his supposed boyfriend in front of people?_

_Before Vance completely shut the door behind himself as he faced the chilly weather, he heard Gord apologize and Jimmy answer, "Nah, don't worry about it. I'm just happy that you made a good friend like the greaseball."_

"Are you upset 'bout that whole me interrupting your mack session thing?" Vance finally asked, not being able to remember anything else. His question caused the ex-preppie's eyes to narrow down into a glare.

"It was an innocent goodbye kiss, and no, that is not why I am in distress."

"What's wrong with you then?" This made Gord return to just staring sadly at the ground until they crossed into New Coventry territory.

"Mockingbird, you can tell me what's bothering you." The greaser dared to speak up again once they stood outside the room his clique once owned, until Jimmy came 'round. The kid never locked up the doors though, and he thought it would be nicer to bring his date here, rather than risk being watched the whole time by his friends in the tenements.

"Never mind, it is just silly." The brunette began to walk up the concrete steps that led up to the room, but Vance grabbed his slender wrist.

"C'mon, you trust me don't you?" Gord slowly turned to face him, allowing Vance to stroke his soft cheek with calloused hands.

"He trusts me, doesn't he?" Gord managed to say before becoming choked up. The guy tried his best to hide his tears, but it still made Vance feel a little uncomfortable. Boys shouldn't cry from emotional junk, that's what he always thought.

"What're you talkin' about?"

"Jimmy. He has a lot of faith in me. There is not a single worry in his mind that I would ever betray him like this, yet here I am, taking advantage of the trust that poor man has."

Vance figured that Jimmy simply didn't care about what Gord was up to, but he didn't dare say this. All he did was wrap his arms around Gord's thin shoulders and whisper, "You're too good of a person." He waited until he felt the other boy's hands touch his own back before tightening the embrace. A motion such as that always seemed to rile up some kind of passion in Gord. The thought of whether or not Jimmy knew that crossed Vance's mind, but he had to shove it away quickly, because the rich kid was soon leading him up the steps.

`~***~`

Vance was pretty damn proud of how far they had gotten before Gord stopped them like he usually did. They were both virgins, but only the greaser seemed willing to let go of that fact. While Gord was taking a shower in the bathroom downstairs, Vance pulled open the blinds as far as they would go. He was not afraid to let the whole world see him in nothin' but his old yellow boxers, which matched his secret partner's sweater (he noted this out loud when they had been rolling around on a crappy mattress on the floor). Yup, he felt a certain animalistic sense of pride as he stared out into the nearly empty street.

That is, he felt satisfied and pleased until he recognized a face outside in the cold. Big ol' Johnny V stared back at him, reminding Vance that he had told his leader where and what he would be doing. The older guy had a smug look on his mug, making the smaller greaser dash around for his pants and pull them up in dance-like moves. Johnny laughed a laugh that was silent to Vance, yet still managed to get its chilling message across. He held up a silver box that was known to the smaller greaser. Words from an earlier conversation flashed through his mind.

"_Your lil' plan worked Johnny! Gord can't get enough of me now!"_

"_Great, great… but you know we still haven't got it finished yet."_

"_What? What the heck else could we do?"_

_The same silver object was shown to Vance. "We gotta make sure that Gordo loves you more than anybody."_

Vance felt guilt brutally stabbing at his stomach as soon as Gord came back up again. He had what he wanted, so why would he need to go an' make his Mockingbird all sad and stuff.

The rich kid had left his jeans and shirt upstairs in his dash to get clean again. He blushed at the open view people might have of him and told the greaser to close the shades. Vance made sure that he was positioned in a way that he blocked out the suspicious leader. He thought about what he should do as Gord stepped into his pants.

"Hey Mockingbird," he started before the prep could grab his shirt. "You love me, don't ya?"

Gord smiled slyly. "What is this now?" He made his way up to the greaser, making Vance nervous. Geeze, that shower must have really calmed him down.

"Do you love me?"

"Do _you _love me?" Gord tossed the question back, now only a few inches away. In a move that might have been less sloppy with some practice, Vance took his friend's hands in his own and sorta spun them around so that Gord's back was now facing the window.

"Yeah, I do."

This made the prep smile. "I love you too then." The heat drunken ex-prep leaned in to run the tip of his tongue down the length of the greaser's neck.

With a shiver, Vance further questioned, "Who do ya love more?"

Gord paused. "What?"

"Do you love Jimmy more than me?"

Slightly paled, Gord straightened and back up a little. The shocked look on his face was enough to shatter the greaser's heart. "Of course I love Jim more; he's my boyfriend. I am very sorry if you thought we were more than just friends, but I'm taken." He tried to put even more space in between them, but was stopped with the hands that still grasped his own. "If it counts for anything, you are my very special, very handsome friend, and I will always love you as one." The brunette tugged his hands away. "Maybe this is a mistake for us to do. I would never want to hurt you."

Vance glanced over Gord's shoulder at Johnny. "No." he said dully, before pulling on a fake smile and enthusiasm. "No! I know that we're jus messin' around. Nothin' serious, just the way I like it." Gord seemed to relax a little. "Now come back over here." Vance ordered without a single trace of guilt.

…_gotta make sure Gordo loves you more than anybody._


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bully or its characters. Although I do own Lawford (Troy), and they can never take away my personality-deprived pipsqueak. Haha… ^-^;;

**Author's Note: **This chapter is my shortest so far (a typed page and a half), but I honestly could not think of how to make it stretch out more without getting too repetitive. I've always like Trent and Jimmy together. Although, my little fic is starting to make me not like them as much. (is that vain of me?)

* * *

**EvilChick101: **Johnny is quite devious. Just think of what could happen if he ever got rid of Lola; he'd have a lot more time to scheme. . …. . I'm feeling pretty good right now, thanks for your concern! :3 I'm gonna play Kingdom Hearts Recom for the first time tomorrow. . Riku and Sora are so totally gay for each other. (and Demyx for Zexion)

**I would also like to thank anyone else who is reading this story! You guys have gotten me to well over a thousand hits and it really just makes me smile!**

**Thank you! :3**

* * *

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Nineteen

Jimmy grinned breathlessly as he sat himself up on the awful teal carpet. His nose was bleeding slightly and there were going to be a few bruises on his body the next day, but he felt foolishly thrilled. It was hard to tell whether he had gotten into a fistfight or just had sex. He missed the questioning feeling though. He missed how rough things could become and how every physical conflict ended in the same dirty fashion. Jimmy had missed Trent.

"Was it good for you?" Northwick asked out of formality as he stretched to his feet. He was completely in the nude, taking comfort in his rented apartment. Hopkins was sure that he would feel the exact same out in public; Trent had gotten even more in shape than he was before the incident. His pale skin was pulled tightly over every toned muscle in his body. It was pure man brutality and it turned Jimmy on.

"Yeah." Jimmy started to quickly pull on his clothes, ashamed of the flab he had.

"It's nice doin' business with you again."

"Yeah." he nodded, relaxed in his shirt and pants again. He knew Trent didn't show or talk about emotions and crap like that, but he couldn't resist himself (perhaps Gord's passive aggressiveness was rubbing off). "You wouldn't have had to miss it if you never would have left."

"Hey, I had to go." he had not raised his voice or anything. The old Trent might have punched out the king's lights in the past for saying this. "I gotta become a star. And baby, stars don't stay in one place all the time." At least some things never changed.

`~***~`

"So what have you been up to anyways?" Jimmy asked as he sat on top of a plastic crate in Trent's one room apartment. The blonde guy occupied himself in his fridge before dropping down onto a wooden chair with a tall, dark brown, glass bottle. He sloppily brought it to his lips before answering.

"What?"

"Where did you go when you were gone?"

"Oh that." Trent wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I went back home at first, but my step-ma was gone and my pop's a bitch. Then I took a bus for awhile. Got to some city and I met up with a chick."

"A chick? I thought the Trentster didn't do the lady thing."

"She was different. Best years of her life were behind her and all she had to show for it was a big empty house and an agent job."

"Oh." Jimmy nodded. He had a feeling of where this was going and didn't particularly like it.

"Yeah!" Trent smiled real wide, like a bozo. "The chick got me some headshots and shit like that, and all I had to do was service her for a few months."

"_I see she gave you alcoholism too." _Jimmy thought bitterly.

"The old bat didn't mean anything to me though." This perked Hopkins' attention. "So it's not like I went behind your back or anything." With a little guilt, the king shifted around on the barely sturdy box. "What have you been doing?"

"Oh, you know, just patrolling Bullworth and that type of stuff. I took in a kid to take my place."

"Uh huh, uh huh," It was obvious that he did not care. "_Who _have you been doing?"

Jimmy shrugged. Everything was eerily silent, waiting for him to answer.

The blonde laughed obnoxiously. "C'mon, I know you. You've probably been nailin' a ton of the students. I wouldn't even be surprised if you got with a teacher. That art one always seemed kinda loose." He playfully punched the younger one in the arm, not noticing the flinch and look of pain that it caused. "Did you get with Kirby?"

"No."

"Well you should. All those sports is good for him, if you know what I mean."

Hopkins was beginning to grow sick of hearing about the questionable sex life of Trent. His skin crawled just thinking about what the guy could have. _"Thank who ever the hell made condoms." _The king decided against saying anything about his live-in roommate, who he thought he might have loved. According to Trent, the emotion was a way in which he could be considered a cheater of their open relationship, and he feared for Gord's safety.

Jimmy wasn't exactly sure why he needed Trent so much. Before he knew his old fling was back around, he had been happy with the guy he made out with on weekends. Sure they fought a lot more a few weeks ago, but he had been content. It was fun to have a guy who got pissy when upset and not violent. Gord was good for Jimmy. The ex-prep needed, advised, and basically worshipped him. Those things were all nice. Much nicer than just slouching awkwardly while Trent drank himself stupid. _"So why is Trent even that great?" _Maybe it was the single fact that Northwick had left him. Left him like his dad did, like his mom did. Only those two never really came back.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Bully videogame.

**Author's Note: **Wow, here we are, already at chapter twenty. Twenty, twenty-one, and twenty-two will be about Christmas for three of the pairs. I am very sorry if this offends anyone, but I do not know enough about any other winter holidays to write about them. Don't worry though, there's nothing religious (not that Christmas really is all that religious to most people living in America any more). Also, (even though it is still a ways off) I'm thinking about writing a short Derby and Bif fic after I finish this one. It would be about Derby chasing after Bif, instead of the redhead wanting the blonde. Tell me what ya think! :3

**AmishGazebo: **Yay you reviewed again! Sora and Riku are totally a couple. There are way too many hints for it to be a mistake. Like Sora staring at Riku's crotch, or the whole: "You always worm your way back into my heart!" Heehee! ^-^

**EvilChick101: **Why thank you very much! I did not know if anyone would like a cocky drunk Trent with beefed out arms. :3

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty

With the exception of a swelling jaw from Derby's last right hook, which packed a lot of bite, everything felt commonplace and right to Bif. It had been a long time since the blonde accompanied him to the boxing club in the afternoon, let alone step into the ring with him. Every move, every footing fell back into rhythm after only about twenty minutes. They danced the dance of the noble sport for hours, each sweating and panting profusely now. Although Bif was more seasoned lately, he was the only one whose throws were growing slow and reactions lazy. He had not landed anything on his friend for the past half an hour or so.

"Sorry about that ol' chap!" Derby called, sprightly bouncing from one foot to the other. He was referring to Tremblay's jaw. Despite each breath becoming more and more difficult to grasp, he did not cease his movements. "What? Becoming tired already, Bif? Really, have you not been boxing a lot more than me of late?"

"Perhaps," Bif grasped for air. "I just don't want you to hurt you."

"Hah!" Derby moved in close. The swift movement carried a drop from his forehead through the air, only to land on Bif's upper lip. Somehow it felt warmer than his own. The redhead seriously considered slipping his tongue out to lap up the salty drop, but he decided against it.

"_Even I'm not freak enough to do that." _he thought as he wiped his mouth with the back of the large crimson glove he was wearing.

Derby was no longer jumping. "Hit me."

"What?"

"Try to get me!" They both slipped the plastic mouth guards they had taken out to speak back in place. Bif shrugged. Figuring that the leader would just show off by dodging any punch, the redhead sloppily held up his aching arms. "Hurry up!" Usually, Bif never aimed for Derby's face. Never his friend's commanding eyes, nor his adorable nose, nor his beautiful smile. Right then though, he was quite tired and sure of his upcoming failure. With that in mind, he pushed his gloved fist forward and WHAM! A direct hit to the once perfect right side of Derby's face.

Removing the plastic from his mouth and wriggling out of one of the gloves, the taller male ran to his companion and placed his bare palm against the soon to be bruised skin. "Derby! I'm so sorry I thought you'd--"

"I knew it!" The blonde forcefully exclaimed, spitting out his mouth guard onto the mat. He sounded happy. "Did not want to hurt me, eh?"

"Oh yeah, that." Regretfully, Bif removed his hand gear.

"Now admit that I am still the better boxer!" The shorter boy triumphantly crossed his arms over his chest and, tastefully, beamed.

Theatrically, the redhead fell to his knees and raised his hands to the blonde. "Oh my great, mighty, fearless king, you are truly the best of the best when it comes to boxing."

"Good." Derby removed his own gloves and offered Bif a hand to get up. He gratefully took it. "You have improved tremendously though. I would say that if you faced off against Hopkins today, he'd be out cold in a matter of minutes."

"Thanks." Bif breathed out through a smile.

"What say we go on back home now?"

"Okay."

"Merry Christmas Bif."

"You too."

`~***~`

It was the twenty-fifth of December that day and, like the entirety of Bullworth, Harrington House was rather empty. In fact, Derby and Bif were the only two residential preppies that had not gone home for the holiday break. After they returned from their sparring session, the redhead retreated to his room for a much needed shower. When he returned to the common area on the first floor, Derby was no where to be found. The redhead held a tiny maroon wrapped box in his hands. He was saddened by the disappearance of his close friend, but he should not have been surprised. What, did he actually expect someone like Derby Harrington to spend the holiday with him? Leaving the present on the arm of a couch, Bif retired to his room once again.

`~***~`

"Bi-if!" The redhead could hear his leader singing out his name through the empty halls around six in the evening. Not too long after, the blonde burst into Bif's bedroom, where the boxer had been reading a book that was assigned. "So that's where you've been!" Derby's red nose exuded the feeling of the holidays. "Did you get me this?" The tipsy blonde made his way onto the bed that Bif had been laying on. As he kneeled beside the redhead, he held open his hand. Inside his grasp there was a petite glass lion with a gold mane and ruby eyes.

The boxer tried to hold back a blush; the gift did not seem nearly as ridiculous inside the store as it did now. "Er yes, I'm sorry. I didn't have very much money and--"

"I absolutely love it. It's so adorable!" Adorable? Derby must have been quite toasted, because a sober Derby did not use that word. A sober Derby also did not so casually climb onto the same bed as Bif. "Why a little lion though?"

"Because lions remind me of you." Did he really say that out loud.

"Aw, you are just so sweet! I bought you a little something also, but it's downstairs."

Down in the common room Derby had placed a rather large white box beside two bottles of champagne and a bottle of wine. The present had been new boxing gloves and shorts, all in a shade of tan. The blonde had signed every piece of the present, saying that it would be worth a lot when he was a famous socialite. Now the two were sitting on opposite ends of the couch besides a roaring fire that Bif had lit.

"Loosen up ol' chap, have more than a drink and a half!" Derby laughed wildly.

"Derby, how much have you had to drink today?"

"It's the holidays, perfect time to open a fresh bottle of the bubbly."

"Derby."

"Well let's see, after we worked up a good sweat from our spar I had a shot of that expensive imported vodka Daddy bought me. Then I remembered that Pinky's not around to scold me, so I had another." He smiled, but it was somewhat bitter. Pinky had said that she traveled home for the holidays, but everyone knew that her family was on vacation. The harlot was probably with some guy whose father's wallet was heavy. "After that I decided to go for a little walk. I brought along a tiny, tiny flask, if that counts."

"It does."

"Well then that is all." That was a lie. Bif could smell over three different liquors on his best friend's breath, but he decided not to nag him about it. "Have another drink with me Bif." The blonde whined. Bif shook his head, hating to drink too much. Where he grew up, it was punishable for teens to drink. Here though, in Harrington House, parents actually supplied the substance. "Please? It is so unbecoming to be the only smashed person at a party."

"Then don't drink so much."

"What if we play a drinking game?"

"No."

"How about every time one of us blushes like a little girl we have to take a shot?"

"No thanks."

"Pretty please?" Derby hiccupped and clambered to his hands and knees, still on the couch. Drunkenly, he crawled towards Bif.

"_Sheesh, he is worse than one of those loose girls on reality television." _The blonde came closer. Bif straightened his back and tried to appear normal. It was quite hard though when his close friend nestled his handsome face into the side of his neck. Derby briefly pulled away again.

"Look, I win!" He then gracefully collapsed onto Bif and fell into a deep slumber.

`~***~`

Bif Tremblay started attending Bullworth Academy at the very beginning of his fourth grade year. His first meeting with a young Derby Harrington was by complete chance. The redhead was walking to the dorms on the first day of school and bumped into the blonde. Instead of screaming at him, like Derby would have usually done, he just stared for a moment. "My word," he said after a few seconds of gaping. "You are huge!" Bif was a little tall for his age (just as he was now), but he still should have taken some kind of offense. He did not though.

Their friendship began quickly, but it was almost shattered after only a few days. It took Derby awhile to realize that Bif did not wear Aquaberry, that Bif did not live in Harrington House, that Bif was not rich. Bif came from a lower middleclass family and could only afford to attend the private school with help through grants and a scholarship. Instead of being brave and original, Derby decided that he needed to stay in his clique, so he made up the lie of the redhead being rich. His father paid for young Tremblay's room (and still did) in Harrington House, and he taught Bif how to act rich. Not all of this came for free though; Bif had to swear loyalty to Derby, which the blonde took to mean learn boxing for the sake of being able to bet on him.

"I'm glad you chose me." Bif whispered to his passed out friend as he held him close. He prayed that the blonde would not be able to remember what he said. "I will always keep our secret, because," Despite Derby being completely unconscious, it still hurt a little to say his next words.  
"Because I love you."


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bully.

**Author's Note: **I have been so busy writing that I completely forgot that I had written this. Sorry! Twenty-Two should be up no later than Friday. This story is making me really impatient though, haha. I always write the first chapter first and then the last chapter right after, so I've had the final chapter written for weeks. It just stares at me, mocking. Ha. I guess that means I better start writing faster.

**EvilChick101: **Here's your update! ^-^ Sorry it took so long.

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty-One

Gord was roughly shook awake early that morning. When his eyes opened, he could make out a blurry Jimmy grabbing his shoulder and Troy sitting in the lower left corner of the bed. "Hey, merry Christmas." Jim greeted, his words not exactly brightened by holiday spirit.

With a small shove, Troy eventually mumbled, "Merry Christmas Gord."

"Here, we got you something." Jimmy gently tossed something onto Gord's lap as he started to sit up. Through the black Styrofoam of the small gift and the blankets that still managed to cling to him, he could feel a chill. The little something must have come straight out of the refrigerator. "Aw, you two are so saccharine!" he cooed appreciatively.

"We're what?"

"Sweet," Gord reached for his present. "like sugar." At first, he was terribly excited to be receiving any gift at all, even if it was not wrapped. When he peered through the clear plastic lid though, his mind fell into confusion. Two little rows of four neatly wrapped rolls of rice, fish, and vegetables stared up at him. "Sushi?"

"Yeah, I thought you loved fancy crap like that."

"I do, I do!" he replied defensively, not wishing his boyfriend to close all the way back up again. "Just usually not for breakfast."

"You don't have to eat it now."

"But it's breakfast in bed." Troy stared at Gord as if daring him not to take a bite. The future king of Bullworth was someone that one did not want to be enemies with (the brat could be king of scary at times), so the three of them ate Gord's present on the bed. Vendrome could not hold back a snicker when the small blonde popped a whole roll into his mouth, only to have it be spit back out immediately. _"Guess the kid will just have to do with cereal… as usual."_

`~***~`

_"It is quite sad to see the brat today." _Gord passively thought. The little school family was sitting in a triangle on the dusty floor of the beach house. They were supposedly exchanging presents, though there was nothing for Gord to unwrap. Troy had given him the peculiar breakfast, Jimmy the promise of staying over more weeknights, and his family added money to one of his bank accounts. It was of little matter though. _"A child should be able to celebrate the holidays with his own real family. He should be able to receive a kiss on the cheek from his mother and a hug from his father." _Troy was manhandling one of the two shiny green boxes that Gord had prepared for him. A huge grin spread itself across his face when the first sight of a label for a popular robot toy could be seen through a tear in the paper. _"They should have at least sent him something to open. Being away on business is no excuse."_

"What the hell did you get him that for?" Jim barked, making Gord snap back from melancholy thoughts. The small boy had already gotten to the second of the two gifts. Under the cheerful paper was a Barbie doll. A skimpy hot pink bikini barely covered her disproportionally huge plastic breasts. "I've told you twenty times that he's not gay." Troy's eyes widened at the sentence that contained both his own name and the g word.

As James grimaced at the infinitely smiling bubblegum pink lips and flowing blonde hair, Gord snapped, "That is precisely why I bought him that one!" Both of the other males were confused by this, so the prep took it upon himself to elaborate. "While walking down the toy aisle, I caught myself letting my eyes linger a tad bit longer on those delicious beefcake GI Joes. It seemed a manly enough thing, so I was going to purchase it, but then I began to think. If I, a teenager who lost interest in dolls long ago, found a hunky male one appealing, then think of how much fun a pervy boy can have with a handheld tramp."

Beaming, Troy glanced down at his new idol and said, "Thanks Gordy!"

_"I no longer mind being left at school during this time of the year. If my daddy and step-mummy want to spend all their time brownnosing and spoiling their new little brats, then who am I to interrupt them? No, I would rather be here with these two. I love my Jim more than any Vendrome."_

"You bought me something?" Jimmy seemed surprised when Gord had mentioned something about it being his turn. Troy had just finished opening all of the presents he had received. (He did quite well for not having anything from family. Guess being the future king had a multitude of perks, seeing as Jimmy, Peter, Gary, Derby, Bif, Johnny, Vance, Zoe, Juri, and Earnest had all gotten him a little something.)

"Of course I did, Jim. You are my handsome hubby." Gord playfully smiled and Hopkins tried his best to hold back a frightened look. Lacking the dignity that he usually held, the ex-prep crawled over to his bed and then laid his stomach down on the floor. Like many parents, under his bed was the treasure cove where he hid away all the presents he bought. There were only two flat wrapped packages, both about the same size, left. He glanced guiltily at the one wrapped in a dark red paper. Inside there was a new leather jacket for Vance. Gord grabbed the other one and handed it to his boyfriend with a smile to cover his shame. The present was neatly wrapped up in thick violet paper, a lavender velvet bow attached to the front. In neat script, the ex-prep had carefully, lovingly written, "For my James."

"_I wonder how Jimmy feels about being here at Bullworth." _Said king eyed the gift suspiciously. Troy was too preoccupied with his new toys to even pretend to pay any attention to them. _"He hardly ever speaks about his past or his home life. The last thing he told me was that his whorish mother divorced her latest husband to vacation with another man. Jim does not even know where she is." _

"Gee, thanks Gord." Jimmy rolled his eyes at the classic navy sports coat that he pulled out of the box. It had been quite pricey. Gord had longed to get his beloved something from his other beloved, Aquaberry, but the ex-prep had not been able to go there in such a long time. People that worked at his haven now ignored his presence.

"Look in the front pocket."

Within seconds after the squinty eyes locked onto part two of the present, Gord was mauled back down to the floor, this time on his back. "Are you fricken' serious!" The shorter of the two came the closest to purring that he ever would, slapping a kiss down on his lover's lips between every word. "You are so fucking amazing!"

"_If I would have known he would have reacted like this to a couple of tickets to a wretched rock concert, I would have bought him the band ages ago." _Gord half-wittedly mused to himself, soaking in as much of the craved attention that he was receiving that he could. "You have their shirt and I heard that they would be playing very close to here in the spring, so I bought you those. I thought you and Troy would like to go. It'd probably be a highlight of a lifetime to the brat."

Thankfully, the future king remained absorbed in his newly acquired items, for Jimmy began to give Gord a proper Christmas present.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: **Well hello gals and guys. I bet you didn't think that you'd ever see this story on the first page again, am I right? I feel really bad about neglecting this story and the readers (I won't blame any of you if you don't come back), but I kind of needed a break for a little while to work on some other projects I have going on. The next few couple of days I plan on reading this whole story again to get down the characters again, and then I'm back!

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty-Two

"C'mon Gary! I can't wait any longer!"

"Well you're just out of luck then, aren't you?"

"Please." Petey was pathetic, mewling away at his boyfriend's feet.

"No."

"But I did what you wanted."

"I believe that was a mutual win."

"Gare…" the smaller boy begged, wishing nothing more than to be released from his building anticipation. The power Gary could hold over him was completely unfair.

"It will be better if you wait." Kowalski simply stuck out his lower lip and crossed his arms over his chest. Such a childish pose caused Gary to laugh and his younger friend followed in suit. "God you brat, it'll be the twenty-fifth before the end of the movie. Now come back up here." With sore, but strengthening, arms, Smith pulled Pete onto the couch where the head boy had been sitting before he decided to beg on his hands and knees.

"I just wanna open my present; is it really that big of a deal?"

An old superhero flick played in Gary's VCR, skipping every now and then. The young couple would exchange dorky smiles every time they were able to spot a cable that held up their caped champion. They grasped their hands tighter together whenever any villain unexpectedly popped up (though Gary only did this to lighten any shame Petey might feel). And when the hero and his reluctant girlfriend became held up in a passionate scene, Kowalski's heart skipped a beat, being so close to the person with whom he shared a bed. Gary just laughed at any of the kissing parts of the movie, sometimes jeering "breeders" at the screen.

Despite having to wait to for something special, Pete would have to say that this was the near perfect ending to a rare wondrous day. Gary, like the rest of his coworkers, received Christmas Eve and Day off from work. Kowalski arrived at the familiar mobile home door ten minutes before Smith even got home on the twenty-third.

Like nearly every other past and present student of Bullworth Academy, Gary Smith had never really had a normal family life. Early that morning, long before the sun could appear and add a shimmer to the ever-growing snow, he relayed this misfortune to his short friend stretched out on top of his bare chest. Neither one of them could remember having a normal, happy, figuratively warm winter holiday past the age of seven. "We could have one." Gary quietly, though with a certain determination, whispered into the dark room.

"Have one what?" Pete tiredly mumbled in response.

"A proper Christmas." The smaller one chuckled upon hearing those words fall out of his ex-maniac boyfriend's mouth. "What?"

"Nothing about you is normal or proper. You always spit on any kind of tradition."

"I'm not saying we do all the crap every year. It would just be interesting to see why all those pathetic people cling to the only time where their morals exist." Here Petey scoffed; he should have expected such a rationalization. "And it might be… fun."

`*~~~*`

So the odd couple spent the whole day fulfilling Gary's secret fantasy for normalcy, or, as he put it, investigating. They slept in until the afternoon so that the sun was already high by the time they awoke. As Gary showered (with Petey around, he had not found the time to the night before), Kowalski fumbled around in the small kitchen.

"Femme, what are you up to?" Smith asked as he entered the kitchen wearing only a towel around his thin waist.

"I'm making you breakfast!" Pete beamed. "Don't holidays usually start with a home cooked meal?" Gary grinned appreciatively, never complaining about how the bacon was burnt and the pancakes were soggy in the middle.

After the mediocre, but thoughtful, morning meal, the pair took a long walk. First, they just strolled around the smog filled neighborhood while holding each other's gloved hands. Eventually they migrated out past the boundaries of the trailer park. Outside of one of the many Yum Yum Markets, Petey spotted a sign advertising that one could buy Christmas presents there. "Hold on for a minute; I want to pick something up."

"Aww, Femme, waiting 'til the last minute to get me something?"

Petey smiled and shoved his boyfriend softly in the chest. "I bought your gift weeks ago." Gary parodied a touched expression. "I think I should get something for Jimmy, Troy, and Gord though."

Smith shrugged, "Okay. We can always walk over and drop it off. It'll be like visiting the mildly annoying in-laws."

Gary ended up paying for the presents that Petey picked out for their friends. At first he felt kind of guilty, but was reminded that Gary's job, although low paying, made him much more money than he spent. They spent a few hours over at the beach house, handing over the arrangement of flowers (the card was addressed to all three, but it was only intended to please the prep) and somewhat questionable magazine (for the boy of course).

By the time they started to walk back, the sky was already dimming. They stopped into a shabby restaurant for pizza, since there was really no food left at Gary's for dinner and their stomachs were both far too empty.

While Gary fumbled around in his pocket for his house key, he quietly admitted something to his smaller boyfriend. "I've always wanted to try something." He pushed snow off the wrought iron railing and into his hands.

As Kowalski replied "What," the frozen material collided with his face. "Gary!" he fumed as the brunette laughed noisily. "You went to Bullworth; you've had plenty of snowball fights! In fact, I remember you making Algernon wet himself once when you threw an iceball at him."

"Yes, but those were more for survival. I've never really just thrown snow around for fun."

Petey bit his lower lip. Somehow he couldn't imagine a snowball fight with the competitive Gary being much of a joy, but he swooped down to grab some of the fluffy white frozen water anyways.

The fight didn't turn out to be nearly as bad as Petey imagined it would be. His boyfriend allowed him ample time to scurry away and grab more ammo, which was something other boys at Bullworth did not do. Plus Gary even let him hit him a couple of times. The only downer was when Kowalski slipped onto his back from a hidden patch of ice. It didn't really hurt, but when he did not feel like sitting up immediately, Gary got a little worried and rushed over.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Do you need help getting up, Femme?"

"Nope." The smaller boy began spreading his legs open and close.

With a raised eyebrow, the older one asked, "What are you doing?"

"Making a snow angel. Aren't they part of the holiday fun too?"

"Geez, you're doing it wrong."

"I am?"

Gary crouched down, lowering his face closer than necessary. "You have to move your arms too." He grabbed Petey's wrists with each hand, making it so that he had to lean over his body. With his arms that seemed to grow stronger by the day, he began to push and pull Petey's arms with swift movements, creating wings. "Like this." Kowalski raised his head with a bit of a struggle and pushed his cold lips against his boyfriend's. "You're freezing. Let's go inside."

`*~~~*`

By the time twelve o'clock rolled around, Pete had let his mind drift off into sleep, while his body leaned into Gary. He was softly shook awake. "Present time, that is, if you still want yours." Instantly, Kowalski was reenergized.

"You mean it?"

"Why don't you go find it? I hid it in my closet." Gary could barely even finish his sentence before Peter rushed off. Just as Smith expected, a small yelp instantly sounded.

"Gary, please tell me this isn't it!" Petey whined with begging eyes as soon as Gary entered the bedroom. The younger one was holding up a familiar bunny costume that he had been forced to wear one Halloween.

Gary chuckled. "Even I'm not that cruel."

"Then why do you still have it?"

"Do you know how much that thing cost? I'm not made of money you know." Petey's cheeks were a little rosy. Before he could object any further, Smith ordered, "Keep looking."

Getting on his hands and knees, Petey eventually retrieved his real present. Before examining the oversized teddy bear in a pink shirt (much like his own) properly, he clutched it tightly to his body. Desperation would be what a stranger looking in from the outside would say it looked like, but he had no reason to be desperate. It was simply magnified appreciation. "So you like it then?"

"Yes!"

"Hmm." Kowalski remained on the floor, hugging the poor toy senseless. Had he taken a look in the front pocket, he would have noticed the note that read, _"From Gary with love. Don't make me get anymore mushy than that- I'm not the femme." _Gary coughed. "You know, if you like the gift so much, you could show me some of the gratitude."

"Oh that's right!" The smaller of the two jumped to his feet, making the other grin devilishly. The smirk quickly fell though, when Pete dashed past him to dig around his overnight bag. A few moments later, he rose with a neatly wrapped green package in his hands. It was about the size of an orange.

"What's that?"

"It's your present!" Femme-boy chimed, handing it over. A big heart had been drawn on the top with Gary's name painstakingly written in cursive in the middle of it. Pete wasn't expecting anything along the lines of 'you didn't have to get me anything' to be said. Gary usually stayed away from such 'pointless formalities.' The wrapping paper was calmly removed and tossed onto the floor. A plain navy box could now be seen. Popping open the top, Smith's usually stoic eyes widen, bringing immense joy to Kowalski. The older one carefully took out an expensive looking (it looked pricier than it was, though it wasn't exactly cheap) watch and slipped it back onto his wrist with a few smooth movements. Had he looked at the back, he would have noticed an inscription that read _"love Pete."_ "Do you like it?"

A mix between a chuckle and a scoff came from Gary's mouth. "Get over here." They both shared the devilish grin now.

`*~~~*`

"It's amazing how much you've changed recently." Pete mused aloud post intimate bliss. A few marks on his chest were beginning to hurt, but he had been too caught up in the moment to remember to leave his shirt on.

"Mmm, whatever do you mean?" Gary purred a little more lion like than cat into Petey's neck. They were lying side by side on their backs on top of Gary's bed.

"You're letting things go more easily now. A few months ago, you would have never even considered being friends with Jimmy again, let alone going to see him on a day off. You would have been too obsessed with getting revenge against him." A twitch came from Smith followed by a guilty groan. "Gare?"

"I developed a plan."

"What?!" Kowalski didn't exactly feel crushed. Deflated maybe. Gary rolled away from his boyfriend, upsetting the smaller one even further until he moved back after retrieving his nightly dosage from the nightstand.

"Would you like me to explain it to you?" came a tired sigh after their fingers were once again intertwined. Petey nodded. "I need for Jimmy to know what it's like to lose something at least. Thanks to him I lost most of my life, and what happens to him? He gets himself a tidy little school family!" Gary paused as his words became more and more growl like. Kowalski gave his hand an encouraging little squeeze, even though he thought that Jimmy helped Gary gain more of a life than he had before.

"You have me."

"I know. I know that and trust me, I am entirely thankful, but that still doesn't make me feel completely better."

"What else do you need?"

"Troy." The short answer was mumbled weakly.

"What?"

"I want Jimmy to lose Troy! Between Gord and all of the other trivial school shit Hopkins has going on, he close-to-completely ignores the kid."

"Being such a little guy and new, Troy would have a hard time at school without Jim. Just what do you plan to do?"

"I'm kind of attached to the brat. I want him to look up to me."

"Huh?"

"Don't you see how happy he is when he's with us? Sometimes I feel like we're a real… family. A family of misfits that nobody else wants." That wasn't fair! Gary used the f-word. That tricky tricky word that Kowalski pined for, especially with the person he loved the most. "It's probably not going to work, but I just thought maybe if I showed him that he's welcomed here… I don't know. You aren't going to tattle to big bad Jim are you?"

Peter thought this over. It didn't really seem like Gary was doing anything wrong; his 'plan' was to be nice to a kid he liked. "Nope."

A family.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: **I appreciate readers and reviews. Thank you all!

**EvilChick101: **Oh, I'm so happy that you're still reading this! I was afraid I might have lost my best reader during my absence haha. :3 Thank you very much! I was afraid that twenty-two might have came out strangely since I wrote it over a few months.

* * *

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Sure it's okay for you to not show up at work today?" Jimmy breathlessly asked between forceful interruptions by Trent's rough lips. He tried to ignore the sour taste that the blonde passed on.

Dominating the smaller one's body against the steel floor, he spat out a reply. "Yeah."

"I've never really had a job or nothing, but don't they usually want you to call or something?"

"It's fine." Again, the answer came short and gruff. In a strange way, Hopkins kind of missed the way that Gord would just not know when to shut up at times. He was, thank god, not allowed to dwell on conflicting thoughts for very long though. While trying to get better balance and control, Trent raised one of his arms tactlessly and crashed it up hard against the bottom of one of the grey seats. "Aw dammit to hell!" he swore loudly and backed up into a position so that he was sitting on his feet. Jimmy took this opportunity to get off his back. "Do we really have to do this here?" His voice boomed as he rubbed at the new ache.

"Where else is there?"

"You have shithole rooms all over the place."

Warm blood rushed to Jimmy's head. He didn't think Trent would remember that. "If you got caught by a prefect, that'd be some real hell." Honestly, he was more worried about Gord finding out through gossip, but there was no way he could tell that to his easily raged friend with awesome benefits.

"Don't you have somewhere off campus? By that lake, right?"

Quickly, Hopkins' dull mind tried to scramble up some probable lie. He could say that he lost it to one of the cliques, but Trent would probably just be eager to take it back with force. Another possibility would be to say that he loaned it to a friend. That wouldn't stop the blonde though. "No, I don't."

"Oh." He bought it! "This place still blows though."

"It's your fault for showing up unannounced." Holy crap! That line sounded as if it came straight out of Vendrome's snooty little mouth. From the look of the dark scowl, Jimmy guessed that the two wouldn't get along.

"Look, do you wanna start something or do you want me to screw you?" The darker haired of the two shut his trap and laid back again.

`*~~~*`

Trent had just shown up at the front gates of Bullworth Academy earlier that school day. It was a really stupid idea for him to follow through on; the guy was banned from the property because of violence, so Jimmy was pretty certain that he could get into some real shit by being there. Somehow, he didn't manage to get caught though. Jimmy, by pure chance and undeserved luck, just happened to be wandering past on an errand from Bif between classes. It made his thick skin feel cold to think about what would have happened if he hadn't found the bully as fast as he did.

Don't get things wrong though! The great king had been thrilled to see his screw buddy. Sure, maybe a little less excited than usual, but the two had just fooled around days earlier and he was afraid of Trent getting himself into even more trouble. …And it would have downright sucked if Gord figured things out and got all pissy at him.

So what was Jimmy to do with a giant blonde bully, who claimed to have a hard on so bad that he couldn't go to work or wait to get back to his place, in the middle of the school day, out in the open? He rushed him to the place they used to always go when they wanted privacy for a change. The old abandoned school bus. Sure, it was a little more cramped now that Trent had the appearance of someone on steroids, but it could work.

`*~~~*`

Northwick hurried and finished very quickly, causing more pain in Jimmy than he usually felt. Neither of them had had time to remove their shirts; Trent didn't even bother to slip his pants down very far. "Good?"

Jimmy stood and tugged his pants back on before answering. "It's been better."

"Good." Trent nodded. He had not even bothered to listen to Hopkins' reply.

"Look, I've already missed a class now, so I better get back." he braced himself for an angry reaction.

There was none. "I'll be here."

"What are you talking 'bout?"

"I'll wait around here and when your little school day is over you'll come back. Things felt kinda rushed; I'll make it up to ya." Instantly, Jimmy cheered up a little and placed Trent back in the middle of the pedestal he recently began edging off. Trying not to look too needy though, he just coolly nodded.

"Right. See ya then."

`*~~~*`

Jimmy was sure that he had on a stupid grin as he gingerly walked out through the bus doors that had broken glass. It quickly disappeared along with any color in his face when he recognized a boy crossing the blacktop towards him. Troy was marching along in a small group of girls, but didn't seem to register his guardian's presence until he was about two feet away. Puzzlement was the initial look.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Jimmy spoke loudly, trying to start things off by declaring his authority. That way Troy wouldn't be too inquisitive. Hopefully.

"It's lunch for my grade…" The look in his eyes hardened.

"Then what are you doing out here?"

"They said they heard strange noises coming out of that bus, so I told them I'd go look with them." Them must have meant the girls. Ever since Gord started dressing the boy in strange looks, Jimmy noticed him hanging around with more kids of the opposite gender. "Were you the one making them?"

"No. I heard things too, so I came to investigate." His palms grew sweatier.

"Oh… I had shop. I didn't see you go in." For a king, he was poor at keeping his cool; his hands grew more slippery and wet, and he suspected that his forehead might soon match. "How come you're not in class?"

Despite being so fricken nervous (he couldn't understand why, since he never actually agreed to he and Gord being monogamous), he managed to shrug apathetically. "Decided to skip."

The boy copied the motion, then turned to leave with the girls who looked completely confused and somewhat star struck. "Oh yeah." Troy halted his exit. "Gord told me to give you this." Reaching into his pocket, his hand came back out with a piece of paper that had been folded up numerous times. Casually, he flung it to Jimmy, but it landed on the ground near his feet. Jim couldn't be too sure if the future king meant for that to happen or not.

"He writes me these lame notes everyday. I thought you agreed not to even bother handing them off to me anymore."

"You seem like you could use it today."

`*~~~*`

"_To my Jim—_

_I'm thinking of you again. Can you tell? Even if your adorably dense mind could, I am quite sure that it would have grown used to the feeling by now. I just wanted you to know that I care._

_Love,_

_Your Gord."_

Jimmy had picked up the note from the ground, afraid that it might get into the wrong hands. They all did pretty much say the same mushy crap over and over again. He was just going to throw it away, but forgot about it after slipping it into the front pocket of his hoodie. That is, he forgot about it until after the last bell rang. On his way to the abandoned bus that held a present in it for him that day, he felt something jab him in the stomach. On the edge of the blacktop, he retrieved the paper. There was a trash bin right there, but he decided to humor the silly prep and read it first.

By the time he finished reading the few sentences written in pretty script, he suddenly felt very tired. _"Maybe once was enough for today. It'd be nice just to go home and relax for a while with the stalker and the brat. Trent probably left by now anyways." _


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: **Next Chapter is Valentine's Day. And just when the stores have finally stopped carrying all those pink hearts too.

**EvilChick101: **Thank you for the most entertaining review. :3

* * *

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I have certain feelings for Derby. I do not. I have certain feelings for Derby. I do not. I have certain feelings for Derby." Bif sighed quite deeply as he watched the final petal drift the long fall to the snowy ground. "That is the fourth one."

Had someone been watching the tall, broad-shouldered, red-haired boxer, they most likely would have found it strange to see a boy such as him plucking petals from flowers one by one. After all, it was a game most often played by grade school girls. Perhaps an onlooker would pass it off as a lonely guy doing an absentminded activity. If one thought about it for awhile though, they'd remember that it was winter. There were no flowers outside of convenience stores. Had the miserable looking chap perched upon the wide railing of Harrington House's balcony purchased the bouquet simple for that pointless pastime?

Bif had a very strong feeling that no amount of flowers was going to help him settle his mind. He bought them as a present for Derby, then figured that he had nothing to lose by testing out a question on a few of them. Strange things were happening inside his head ever since that arrangement with Kirby. No, they were there long before that as well. Maybe they went as far back as to when Derby first agreed to take him under his wing and teach him the ways of a preppie.

Recently, Tremblay was having more and more difficulties with hiding from his wrong thoughts and feelings. Three days previous, Derby had taken ill with a persistent flu. His status was too far above receiving help from the shady school nurse and Pinky, of course, was no where to be found. She would never even consider tending to her sick 'boyfriend.' That left Bif to be in charge of tending to his ill, handsome friend. He did not mind in the least; he had been in the position of Derby's nurse plenty of times before.

This time, though, something was quite different. Bif found that it was excruciatingly hard to tear his eyes away from the attractive build of Derby when helping the blonde change into fresh pajamas each morning. Also, every time his friend's name spilled from anybody else's lips it registered as more and more vile in Tremblay's ears. Just the night before he gave Chad the fright of a lifetime when he asked how Derby was doing. The redhead instantly dropped any items he was holding and took a firm grip of the utterly confused prep's shoulder. "You have no right to be so formal with him." he growled before realizing what he had been doing. The boxer retired to his room very quickly after that. He had only emerged from it an hour or so ago; it was still early in the morning and he did not wish to disturb Derby before he woke naturally, so walked to town and purchased the flowers and a get well card.

`*~~~*`

"Bif, my dear friend, you really do take such good care of me." The blonde's normal roar came weak and sloppy. On the first night he took ill, Derby had a very high fever and became somewhat delusional. Watching his leader become terrified of everything he saw when he woke from restless fits of sleep was almost as hard for Bif to do as it was to come to terms with his homosexual crush. Luckily, the flu was now leaving Harrington's mind alone for the most part.

"Are you certain that you do not want anymore soup? I can make you some more with no trouble."

A feeble chuckle accompanied the reply, "It is only when you say things like that, that I remember you truly are a pauper. No proper heir should have any clue as to how to utilize a kitchen."

"Now Derby, even if I were loaded, I would still take care of you." Bif smiled, taking a silver tray from his leader's lap. Harrington did not wake in time for breakfast, which was perfectly fine for the red head; soup was the easiest thing for him to make and it gave him time to sneak the remaining flowers into a vase on Derby's nightstand.

"I highly doubt that; you would have no reason." The blonde shifted around in the chair at the table at which he was seated. "And don't you give me that friendship excuse. There is no such thing for the rich and powerful."

Tremblay laughed on his way to the door, balancing Derby's half eaten lunch in his arms. "Are we not friends?" He knew the answer well, but it was nice to hear.

"Of course we are. In fact, I think you may be the only one I have." there was a pause in his words to allow him to rub his sore eyes with both hands. "But you are neither rich nor powerful." As Bif opened the door to take the dishes down to the kitchen, the young sick Harrington called after him, "You are coming back up when you are done, correct?"

"I can."

"Splendid. If this disease does not kill me, I think boredom shall." This time, Tremblay held his laughter until he was far out of earshot.

`*~~~*`

_"It is nice to be needed." _Bif happily thought to himself as he rinsed out the recently used dishes. He whistled as his strong hands carefully danced a bowl in and out from under the steaming water of the faucet. A few of the preps would place their dishes in the dishwasher, but most just left them somewhere in the kitchen (if the maid was lucky). The star boxer was the only one to actually rinse them first. He liked their house cleaner, a short man with unevenly cut carrot hair, and felt bad for the way the others treated him.

"B-Bif?" A counterfeit British accent timidly called out from behind him. Tad cleared his throat, but the boxer had already heard the slight fear. Word must have gotten out about the incident he had with Chad. "A few of the boys and I would like to visit Derby. Is the ol' chap doin' any better?"

Tremblay cringed, but restrained himself against anything further. Derby had just invited him, and personally too, to spend time with him then. He knew that those fiends would suck the little energy he had right out of him. "Well he still has the flu, but I am quite sure that he would appreciate seeing his loyal group. When I brought him lunch, he made it clear that he is suffering from boredom nearly as bad as he is from the actual virus."

"Tremendous!" Italian leather shoes began to clack away, but then paused, just as Bif had expected.

"So he is still sick, huh?"

"Sick as a dog, but he would love to see you."

Even though his back had remained turned, he could imagine the brunette nodding, trying to weigh out his options. "He's not still- well you know."

He did know. The first two nights Derby's retching could be heard throughout the entire second floor almost. To Bif, that was actually quite helpful, for he could then go and assist his unlucky friend. Nobody else saw it as more than a grotesque disturbance though. "Not nearly as violently, but nothing has been able to stay down yet." Tremblay grinned evilly at his lie.

"Huh." By now Tad was probably trying to come up with any kind of an excuse. "There must be a terrible stench then." he mentioned to himself quietly, though the redhead could still hear him perfectly. "The sick always smell." Finishing the final dish, Bif turned and saw that the color in Tad had disappeared with his accent. "You know, I have just remembered that I have a chemistry final to make up right about now. Please send Derby my, all of our, best wishes."

"Can't anyone go visit him? You all cannot have missed the final."

"Y-You see, it was sort of a chain reaction th-thing. All of us skipped on the same day and so now we have to go to class." Tad was nearly shaking. He probably knew that Bif didn't believe him, but his shame would not let him back out of the lie. "I should go now. Be sure to send him our get wells and," here he put something on the kitchen table. "give him that. It's a card that we collected today." With that, he was out of the kitchen and probably out of Harrington House in a matter of moments.

"_A card? Most people had the sense to get their cards and presents to him by yesterday morning. Who could be so rude with their tardiness?" _Bif retrieved the folded paper on the marble and his questioned was answered without even opening it. On the front of the cheap card there was a generic blue sky and sun scene along with some stains that were not meant to be there. "Hopkins." he sighed.

`*~~~*`

When Bif turned to his leader's germ infested room, he found Derby had slipped back into bed. He thought the blonde, curled up into his silk black sheets, had fallen asleep again. As he began to walk back towards the door, he was surprised by the voice that always seemed able to tug at his heart. "I thought you were going to keep me company."

"Oh, Derby." he knew better than to let too much of his shock show through. "I am sorry; I thought you were sleeping."

"No, just cold." The redhead approached the side of the bed and Harrington's eyes focused on him. "You look terrible Bif. I must be running you ragged."

"Not at all. Would you like me to start a fire for you?" Tremblay began to turn towards the fireplace before Derby even had a chance to answer.

"No, the blankets do the job quite fine. I want you to take a break."

"I thought you wanted somebody here with you."

Using shaky arms, Derby pulled himself up and into a seated position. He adjusted the pillows to stand against the headboard and leaned back against them. With a shiny nailed hand, he patted the empty space beside him. "Sit down with me for awhile." Bif just nervously adjusted his weight from one foot to the next. "I won't bite."

Very slowly, trying his hardest not to show too many signs of his slight embarrassment, Tremblay climbed onto the tall bed. He sat back on top of the covers next to Derby. _"Is this really fair of me to do any more? If Derby knew how I felt about him…" _

"What's that?" Said blonde plucked the card out of Bif's hands as he asked. "Another card? Well aren't I mister popular?" There was a disdainful gleam in his eyes as he noted the stains. He opened it up.

"Who is it from?" Bif asked, more to show that he hadn't been a snoop and read it. If it was from anyone but Jimmy, they would be in water hotter than Derby's temperature had been.

Harrington's upper lip curled back. "That arrogant little fool!" he growled. "Is he truly trying to antagonize me while I am in this condition?"

Bif's eyebrows knitted together. "What does it say?"

"How dare Vendrome do such a thing." he flashed the card to Tremblay.

"_Hope you feel better soon." _was preprinted in the center, and three names were sloppily scribbled beneath it. _"Jimmy, Gord, & Troy."_

"Well?!" Derby snapped a little.

"To be honest, I don't see the problem."

"Gord is trying to pull off the 'I'm the better person' attack. It's ages old."

"It is not in his handwriting though. He might not have even known that Jimmy sent this."

"Are you defending him?"

Bif shrugged, it was easier just to shut up and agree. "Of course not."

Derby nearly cackled, startling the redhead slightly. "Little does the fool know that there is an entire plan created against him. Ha, that will be a fine punishment! How is Plan Northwick going anyways?"

Tremblay did not like where this was going. Hadn't Gord's expulsion from Harrington House been his punishment? The plan was created against Hopkins, not Vendrome. A whole entire plot was too much for one angered statement that Derby had provoked. Bif ignored this though, trying to keep his faith in his leader. "With the introduction of Trent, Jimmy's improvement has begun to slow."


	25. Chapter 25

**EvilChick101: **Thanks. Ha, I guess my disliking a Derby in general is showing through. Even though he barely had a part, I liked Bif much better.

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Hey," Jimmy stretched the simple greeting out into a loud yawn. "You didn't kick me off the bed again." He sat up, shoving his legs off the side of the bed to the short fall to the floor. Gord was laying on his side, facing him.

"Hooray." the prep mumbled unenthusiastically, barely conscious.

"You've gotten a lot better about that."

Not even awake enough to have seen anything but the insides of his eyelids yet, the natural brunette was still able to think of a slightly naggy reply. "You've been spending more nights." The thinner of the two was clutched to his pillow as his body formed around it. Jimmy had to admit, only inside of his own head of course, that it was sorta cute. Still, what good was the guy if he was sleeping? Had Troy been around, he could have hung out with him, but the kid was probably gone by then. Hopkins checked his cheap digital watch. Yup, he was gone; it was already past twelve. The future king was going on a group date to an early showing of a movie. The little dog was going to be the youngest one there by two years. Jimmy was quite proud.

"It's Valentine's Day; don't you want to get up?"

"Do you have anything unbelievably romantic for me to open my eyes up to yet?"

"I'll let you get your sleep."

Jimmy had dreaded this day for a long time. To him, it just seemed like an unnecessary hassle. It was the kind of thing that was created just for people like Gord. He'd either get pampered with all the mushy crap he loved, or he'd get to whine and bitch, another thing he loved. At first, he wasn't going to get Vendrome anything. It'd be like buying a bone for a dog that pissed on the carpet. Now that the day had actually arrived though, he began to readjust his thinking. _"He's been pretty tolerably lately. It'd be more like rewarding a dog that stopped pissing on the rug." _He glanced down at the softly breathing Gord. The guy'd done nothing wrong but basically worship him. _"And what do I do? Go fool around with Trent."_ The thought caught him by surprise, forcing him to push back a little shame. _"I'm not doing anything wrong."_ he told himself for the millionth time and began to feel a little better. _"I should probably go get the prep a present though."_

`*~~~*`

By the time Jimmy had finally found something good enough (which took several stores since everything was so picked over) and walked back to the beach house, Gord was already awake and out of bed. He found the prep sitting on the floor (back straight of course) in front of the T.V., eating cereal. "I thought you had abandoned me." he apathetically greeted, not bothering to even face the king of Bullworth.

"Oh hey." Jimmy quickly hid an Aquaberry bag behind his back. He thought he'd have at least enough time to stick the present in a box or something.

Gord turned his head when he heard the plastic. "What do you have?"

"Just something I picked up today."

"Hm." he twisted his head back to the screen with a nod, and Jimmy allowed himself to breath a sigh of relief. "What did you buy?" Shit.

"_Wait a minute," _Hopkins thought to himself in an attempt to cool off his suddenly warm nerves. _"What do I care if it's wrapped or not?" _With a seemingly careless movement, he flung the bag onto the floor beside Gord. "For you."

The prep took a lazy glance down towards the bag. "I thought we weren't getting each other anything for…" As he trailed off, his eyes widened and he stared down again. He had recognized the blue plastic. "J-Jim! This is-!"

Hopkins began to shuffle towards the area behind the bar that had become their makeshift kitchen. A low gurgle came from his middle and he realized that he hadn't eaten yet. "Yup."

"But how did you…?" His hands had not yet even touched the bag, too busy revering it.

With his stubby fingers, he retrieved and opened a cookie in a white and red wrapper. "Afford it? You know, I'm not as poor as you make me out to be. Bullworth is a private school."

"I was going to ask how you managed to get service. The people that work there can be _so _stuffy."

"Wha do yu need servees fo?" Hopkins asked with a mouth full of chocolate chip.

Gord knitted his eyebrows together in confusion. "Why, to service you of course." Jimmy chuckled, spraying crumbs, and, with a roll of his eyes, the prep explained himself. "Don't let your mind be filth! The workers help fit you and gather the clothes you pick. They usually deny any help to those of lower stature."

"And why would I need their help?"

"What exactly did you do?"

"I just walked in there, saw something you might wear, grabbed one, and then slammed it down on the counter." He did the last thing as part of his distaste for that store; they shouldn't have treated Vendrome, formally one of their best customers, like shit.

"Can I open it?" Gord's eyes were once again focused on his gift.

"Sure," Jimmy shrugged indifferently.

Gord didn't just open up the bag and pull out the shirt that Jimmy bought him. He went into the back room with the lights off and put it on. Said something about wanting the first time he saw it to be on him. It didn't take a genius (which Hopkins certainly wasn't) to be able to tell when he finally looked at it. The light switched on and half a scream closely followed. The shriek was interrupted by a gasp, which Jimmy took as a good sign. An even better sign was when Gord came rushing out and leapt on him, throwing his newly sleeved arms around his neck. "Oh Jim you are the absolute, top-notch, best boyfriend in the entire universe!" Today, the king didn't feel so much like correcting him. The grateful prep peeled away. "I had no idea they had a line of pink now." When Jimmy saw the shirt in the store, it reminded him of a light yellow sweater that he saw Gord wear a few times. It looked like a businessman's basic white button up collared shirt, but it was a light pink. Over it, there was a darker rose colored sweater vest; two hearts were stitched by the Aquaberry logo near the top on the right.

"I think it's new for V-Day and junk."

"Goodness, this feels amazing! I have not had new Aquaberry in such a long time." The prep began to cling back onto the bully again, and Jimmy felt thankful that he had made the purchase.

`*~~~*`

Later on that day, Jimmy and Gord sat together with their backs propped against the bar. They were watching a rerun of an old T.V. show, but Hopkins was more focused on the other boy that he had an arm around. He rested his chin of the top of Vendrome's head that was laying on his chest. "Jim, I feel quite ashamed now." he piped up.

"I already told you that it's fine you didn't get me anything; we weren't supposed to buy anything."

"No, it is not that."

Jimmy groaned softly when he didn't explain himself. "Then what is it?"

"I have not exactly let you—oh how would you put it—get very far."

"What're you talking about?"

"Well, I have heard about some of the things that you used to do with the other people that you've dated. I feel like I am obligated to do those things too and I am just being selfish."

With a steady hand, Jimmy hit Gord on his shoulder. "Don't talk like that. It makes me sound like some kind of freak that pressures people into that. I've told you a million times that I'd rather never do anything with you, than for you to not be ready."

"But Jim—" Gord never did get to finish whatever he was going to say. He was interrupted by a loud knocking on the door.

`*~~~*`

Jimmy had been the one to offer to get up to answer the door, but when he did, nobody was there. "Musta just been some little ass." he called over his shoulder to the prep. He was about to slam it shut, when something on the ground caught his eye. Lying out was one of those big, red, heart-shaped, boxes that contained mixed chocolates. In the middle "Jim" was scribbled out with a sloppy hand. "Wow Gord, and I seriously thought for a second that you didn't get me anything."

"Hmm?"

"Who did you have bring these over?" Finding both excitement and pride in being able to predict the prep, he plucked the heart up.

"What is that?" Gord stood and looked genuinely peeved at the present. "And who did you get it from?"

For a split second, a heat rose to Jimmy's face, fearing that his affair might be unearthed. Then he remembered that A) Trent would never even consider validating Valentine's Day; B) Trent had no idea where this place was; and C) Trent wouldn't have run off without getting any.

Now curious, the bully king flipped off the top of the box. Almost instantly, another fire started up. "Get the fuck out Gord!" he snapped. His voice could have probably been heard all the way up the beach. The prep straightened up all the way.

"W-What?"

"You heard me, get out." His volume leveled out to a chilly low. Vendrome cowered. Taking steady, heavy steps, the king walked right up to the boy he had just been having a pleasant enough day with. Right in his face, he spoke in the same tone, "If you stay around any longer, I'm afraid that I'll beat your big nose in, and I don't want to have to live with that."

"What's going on, Jim?" Gord could only manage up a whisper.

"Like you don't know, little miss 'I'm ashamed of not letting you screw me.' You don't look very ashamed there." He grabbed the top photo off a stack of pictures that were inside his 'present.' It was of a barely clothed Gord being held intimately by a greaser. A greaser of all things!

"I don't… I don't…" The tears were starting to form. Jimmy walked away from the sniveling 'boy' and turned to a wall. "Jim, I'm so sorry."

"Leave."

And so Gord left, looking like a complete wreck. He flew past Troy on his way out, but the boy did not look very surprised. It almost crossed Jimmy's mind to wonder just how much Troy knew about the both of them.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: **Thank you readers! I'll try to get the next chapter up by tomorrow or Friday, but I can't make any blood oaths on that; I just received a few books from a series called Cirque du Freak, and I'm really loving them. They're so cute and the print is really big. :3 I love Evra.

* * *

**EvilChick101: **Gord and Jimmy are both cheaters, so they should be together. ^-^ Ha, what doesn't Troy know? Thanks for the review!

**Woot: **Haha awesome name. :3 I am very honored to have written something that people want to read! Thank you so much! There are still some chapters left to write, and my plans do not intend to change the main couple forever. Worry not! ^-^

* * *

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty-Six

Outside, alone, it was far too frigid. Gord realized that, in his rush from his mistakes, he had left his coat in the beach house. Fear, shame, and self-loathing would not permit him to retrieve it. Oh well, he did not think it would be of much help anyways.

The shaking, tear-stained prep barely made it off the creaking ramp before collapsing to his knees in the cold, sticky, mixture of snow and sand. _"If only I was allowed the privilege of being numb…" _he thought somewhat desperately, biting down onto his bottom lip. Gord was just not that lucky though. Icy stabbing pains crawled up his thighs, dispersing to the rest of his body from there. He thought that he could almost feel pains in his chest; it was probably just years of the metaphor of heart break ingrained into his mind. "What am I going to do?" he mumbled pitifully to himself. Tears did not slow. "I have nowhere to go. Nowhere!" his wails came slightly louder. Vendrome could return to school of course. It was, after all, the only reason as to why he was even in that town. What could he do once he arrived though? There was no dorm room that was assigned to his name and he hadn't the guts to tell Daddy about being booted from Harrington House. The brunette was unsure if he could handle Jim's kingdom at the moment either. "I have no one."

No one. The face of a wide-nosed, auburn haired, greaser boy came to mind. Gord clenched his teeth together bitterly. Vance was the reason why he was out there.

_No, it would be unfair to lay the blame entirely with Medici._

Vance started it though.

_But Gord could have ended it._

Still, it was unfair of the greaser to take advantage of the fragile state of mind that the prep had adorned.

_He was only vulnerable the first day, but it went on for weeks._

It had been Vance's stupid choice of location where they had been caught.

_It had not been Vance that led him up those concrete steps._

The weather was growing to be too much. Footprints were soon left in the white blanket of snow and they were headed towards New Coventry.

`*~~~*`

Adorned in New Aquaberry, Gord knew to proceed much more carefully into the shady town than recently. It was never a picnic to reach the Tenements though. Vance could have stayed in his dorm or could be working on his bicycle, both of which would make his slightly dangerous trek pointless, but he had a feeling his friend was where he first assumed him to be.

His assumption proved to be correct. If he had not known better, Gord would have thought that he became invisible for the duration of his walk. All of the greasers and pungent bums, both of whom would have jumped at the chance to throw insults (at least) at the prep, left him alone. Not only did they leave him alone, but they seemed to even get out of his way. _"Very strange…" _Gord thought, but then dismissed it from his mind when he came upon the multi-roomed shack that was the Tenements.

`*~~~*`

At first glance around the building that appeared as if it would topple at any moment, it seemed like nobody was around. Gord slipped in through a window that had been broken as long as the clique had been around. Following sounds of footsteps coming from the second floor, the prep, sniveling still, entered a lofty room. Two figures were in one corner, hanging off one another like common animals, while talking to a third and fourth person. Vendrome instantly recognized a girl from the first pair to be the pauper harlot that left Jimmy (and broke him in the process). Zoe was still a fool in Gord's mind. The heavyset male that had his arms around her unfairly slender waist must have been Hal, her boyfriend. He was unable to see the other two people yet, only their shadows.

"Looky at what the cat drug in!" the hefty male laughed obnoxiously when his eyes first locked onto Gord, who was just a tad past the doorway.

Zoe's gaze instantly flew to the prep, insulting him with a look of concern. One of the mystery greasers took a step forward to see what his friends were speaking of. His hair was styled like a do-it-yourself buzz cut. The prep did not recognize him. "Gord, man, are you okay?" the less than honorable female spoke, making Vendrome's skin crawl.

"Mockingbird?" It was only after his name was said that the fourth person entered Gord's vision. "Mockin'bird!" A wide goofy grin spread itself across Vance's face when he had seen with his own eyes that the prep was actually there. He walked closer, but made no move to touch the miserable looking brunette.

"Hello." Gord greeted, keeping his eyes low and a good portion of his concentration on twisting the toes of his shoe back and forth on the unstable wood flooring.

The smile dampened considerably. "You're lookin' like hell. What happened?" Gord just shook his head, feeling considerably awkward. It was one of the few times in his life he had been shy, but his reasoning was understandable; he was just a pink-shirted queen crying in front of a group that hated him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't ya be with Jimbo?"

It was hard for him to speak. Every few words he became choked up and sounded quite odd. "I came to see you."

A blush very nearly rose to Vance's cheeks. "C'mon, let's go talk." Without even being asked, the greaser removed his leather jacket (it was the new one he had bought for him Gord noted) and placed it on Gord's shoulders. "We'll be, uh, downstairs." Medici nodded towards his friends. Zoe had a strange look on her face.

"Gord," she called as Vance led him away with one calloused hand on the middle of his back. "I'm not rat enough to say anything, but don't hurt him."

If he had been feeling stronger, Gord would have spat something back at her along the lines of, "You did a nice job of doing that yourself." But, alas, he was not.

`*~~~*`

Neither of the two boys said anything when they first entered the cool room with a dirty mattress on the floor (one they were both familiar with). Gord noted that it was a lot darker than the other area. Vance led him to the makeshift bed and helped him sit down on it, but did not join him. The small greaser walked over to the other side of the room and leaned back against the wall, facing the prep. "Happy Valentine's Day." Gord softly croaked, a touch timidly also.

"Why aren't you with Jimmy?" The tone of his voice was no comfort, but it wasn't hurtful either. One of his booted feet joined his back on the half wallpapered wall behind him.

"He found out about us." It was hard, but Gord forced himself to look up into his friend's eyes.

"How?"

"Somebody left pictures on our—his—front step." he chuckled sourly. "Photographs always seem to cause trouble for me."

"Oh." the boy with the auburn hair looked slightly disappointed, but the emotion disappeared quickly. "Are you okay?" They both laughed at that, knowing Gord well.

"V-Vance," the prep started, wanting more than anything to be held. There was a desperate need in him to feel as if there was a pair in which he belonged.

"Yeah Mockingbird?"

The brunette breathed slowly, pushing the idea out of his mind that he was willing to say anything just to receive some form of affection. "I want to be with you."

Vance, thankfully, grinned warmly at that and made his way over to Gord. Vance kissed him fervently on the lips, not pausing for any kind of playful nipping. _Vance had always been there for Gord. _He ran an unpolished hand through soft brown hair. _Vance truly adores Gord. _The other hand was pushing down on the prep's thigh, fingers gently grasping and releasing. _Vance would protect Gord, no matter what. _Gord looped his tired arms around his friend's neck, trying to expel Jim.

_"I wish I loved Vance."_


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the wait!

**EvilChick101: **Ha, I'm honored to have created something that has left you questioning. :3

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Smell was the first of Vance's senses that was pleased early that late winter morning. Eyes still closed, he breathed deeply and took in the classic scent of Gord. He could feel the body still clinging to his own for warmth and hear a soft snoring. The greaser thought he could even still taste the previous night on his lips, but that he was probably just imagining. To make this dream real, all he had to do was open his eyes and make himself certain that the two really were on the ratty mattress together. He did this quickly. Saw the rustled brunette hair, and then closed his eyes again. _"Man, this has really got to be the sweet life."_ he thought to himself with a content smirk on his face.

Vance only had ten minutes or so to lay there before the prep began to stir. He laid like he was still asleep while Gord peeled himself off of his chest. The first thing the guy did was sniffle a little. He had been like that all night. One minute he'd look as if he were starting to get better, and then the next minute he'd be back to sobbing. Vance blamed the irrational behavior for him not getting lucky last night. That could wait though, because now, they had all the time in the world.

"Vance?" Gord softly called, choking up on that one little syllable.

"_I'm gonna have to make a note to myself: kill Hopkins for turning my precious preppie into even more of a girl. He used to have a real nice sexy side." _A small smirk formed across the greaser's face. He could just imaging how sweet it'd be to dig the toe of one of his boots into the fat idiot king's chest. Another idea began to form, a much better one. _"I'm gonna do what he did to me. I'll paw all ova' Gord when he's lookin. That'll teach him!"_

"Are you awake?"

The one he had been thinking about nonstop the past few months was right over there, not even an arm length away; what was he doing, thinkin' about vengeance? "Yeah, I am."

"Oh." Was that all? Didn't he get an offer for like breakfast or something better. He was, after all, like one of those storybook princes that just saved his princess.

"_Saved him from the big ugly Jimmy." _Vance sighed a little, bringing one of his rough mitts to Gord's shoulder and grasped it comfortingly. "How're ya doing, Mockingbird?"

"I am feeling a little better."

"That's good." They both nodded to themselves a little. Now what was there to talk about?

"Hey Vance," the prep spoke up after a couple of moments of silence. Medici looked up at him. "Why do you call me Mockingbird? I know it used to be one of your rhymes, but people say that you do not use that one anymore."

"Cause it's your rhyme. Don't ya remember? It's the first thing I ever said to you. 'What's the word Mockingbird?'"

Gord laughed lightly. "You've said it so many times to me, it is hard to recall the very first."

"Aw, I can't believe you're the one that forgot!" Vance teased. "It was just inside the front doors of school."

"That is a little hard to believe." Neither of them had been the best students, let alone the kind that got to school early and waited around with those other kids.

"Lucky brought me along to check out this one girl with him, and I think you were doing something with your preppies. A few of them glared something nasty at me when I whistled at you."

A voice that didn't belong to either Vance or Gord spoke next, startling both of them. "And then the bub said his lil' poem and never let it go. The end." Upon seeing a tall brawny shadow crawl on the floor in their room, Medici knew that his short lived taste of the sweet life was over.

The shadow was quickly replaced with the actual being of Vance's leader. Johnny's ear had finally healed and a new piercing already made its home there. The man didn't look well though; there were dark circles under his eyes and he didn't seem able to stay still. Immediately after fully entering the room, Vincent took to pacing back and forth a foot away from the mattress. "J-Johnny! What are you doing here?" As he spoke the words, Vance paled considerably.

The leader of the greasers seemed to ignore his follower. "Your lil' love story really is touching. It touches the back of my throat and makes me wretch!" He laughed crazily at himself. "Tell me, did Jimbo have a special pet name for ya? Just for you and nobody else?"

Vance looked over at his longtime friend. Gord looked just as scared as the auburn haired boy felt. "No." Again, he became choked up with a short word.

"Probably cause he didn't care none. Bet he'd care about this sight though. Seems like that type. Controlling."

Vendrome just shook his head, seemingly unable to voice any kind of rebut. "Johnny, can't you just leave us alone for a while?"

Again, his words were wasted. "Gordo, what happened between you and big bad Jim? Someone break you two lovebirds up?"

The prep nodded. "Pictures."

"You just do not have any kind o' luck with those snapshots, do ya?" The leader laughed again, but this time it came with a bite of bitterness. "Wonder who woulda done that." His words sounded more and more threatening to Vance.

The shorter greaser leaned over to his newly acquired boyfriend. "C'mon, let's get up. I think we should get outta here." he whispered, rubbing a hand up and down the prep's back. He got to his own feet and then gingerly helped Gord up.

"Who coulda put those pretty pictures in one of them heart shaped boxes and then left it for Jimbo?" Vincent sneered.

Gord, who had been walking alongside Vance towards the door, stopped when he heard that. "It was," he sniveled. "you, wasn't it?"

"Who else would have the brains to hatch this up?" More chuckling. "Don't it kinda seem odd that I knew just where to find ya?"

Blood turned to ice in Vance's veins. "Johnny!"

"You just said you were smart." A pause. "I am quite sure you could have tracked us."

"That's true, that's true." The leader tugged at his chin and, for the first time, halted his feet. "Do you really believe that?"

Gord shrugged. "I have heard that you would do anything to even out a score."

"Revenge ain't the only thing that motivated me through this."

"Just leave us alone." Vance begged, his voice slightly quieter than it had been the other times he tried to stop his leader. Turns out, that got results.

"Shut up!" Johnny V roared and flung a hand out towards Vance. It stopped, a finger pointing out, just a few inches in front of his face. "I did you favor, and this is how you thank me? By givin' me all this lip." The man turned back towards the prep. "Gordo, this poor sucka was miserable. He wanted you real bad. I look out for my boys."

The brunette's eyes widened as he gazed at Vance. "What are you talking about?"

"I told your lil' boy toy that we'd wait 'til you were good and vulnerable, like after you and Jim had some spat. Then he'd show up and be some kind of hero, one you just couldn't resist. He agreed, Gordo. He wanted to exploit your vulnerability."

All Vance could do was desperately shake his head. "You don't gotta listen to him Mockingbird."

"There was a flaw in my plan; you just didn't up and leave Jimbo. I wasn't too surprised. This one's the weakest of my boys." The traitorous leader gestured dismissively towards Medici. "He was smart enough to go on to the pictures though. He was ready to get you all—"

"Enough!" Taking everyone by surprise, Gord spoke up with more force than Vance had ever seen him with. "I am quite sure that I understand your _little _plan. But, why…" his voice grew weak again. "You know, it does not matter. You have broken me, you win. I will go now, and" he turned to Vance and was able to push some strength into his last words before storming out. "don't ever come near me again!"

Vance suddenly felt very weak and deflated. He fell to his knees, barely aware of his leader's presence still in the room. It wasn't until Johnny V started chuckling that he looked back up at him again. "I guess I'm just a big winner." He grinned widely.

"Why that hell did you do that?" Medici sighed.

"You deserved it."

"That's why?"

"Nah. It just wouldn't feel right to leave my plan half done." His laughter grew louder. "You didn't know that it went on, but I did! I outsmarted you. That's what you get for going against the greasers for some lil' prep!"

Vance groaned and tried his best to block out Johnny V's triumph.

"I beat everyone, got 'em all back! Stupid Gordo shouldn't have messed around with my girl." He laughed some more and crouched down next to his subordinate. "How do you think King Jimbo felt havin' someone he loved on the other side of the camera, huh? You think he felt like laughing then?" Another groan came from the smaller greaser. It was a groan from his heartache, from his stupidity, and from his shame of trying what he tried against Gord.


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Notes: **I've just noticed that I have been mistaking a few last names recently. It is Bif Tremblay (not Taylor) and Gord Vendome (not Vendrome). Sorry 'bout that! ^-^;

**EvilChick101: **Aw don't be sad, Gord will bounce back. :3 Thanks for the review!

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty-Eight

When did the world become so complicated for Bif? Everything of late seemed to have a deeper meaning or secret sides. It used to be that Bif could just do whatever anyone in power told him to do. Teachers instructed him to read three chapters for an assignment, he did it (and came off as smarter than he really was by comparison of his peers that had not bothered to do anything other than slack off). A year ago, if Derby schemed, Tremblay would go along with it, no questions asked or concerns stated. Now he could not help but think about what message his fearless leader was really trying to convey with his recent decisions.

That morning, Bif had decided to just walk around the academy campus. There was no class that day, so it was rather vacant. A few nerds and cliqueless students roamed around, but not enough to disturb his thoughts. Word had gotten around that Hopkins and Vendome were no longer together. Bif was unsure of exactly how Derby would feel about this, but was certain that the blonde would not be pleased. At least, for the moment being, the boxer did not have to concentrate so hard on the plan that made him utterly uncomfortable.

Instead, the redhead planned to give thoughts to his own problems. His peculiar feelings towards the young Harrington had not dispersed. If anything, they had made themselves a more permanent home in his mind. Along with feelings of desire came a stabbing jealousy that Bif was finding harder and harder to contain. Just the other day he found himself walking towards Pinky without any idea of what he had planned to do when he got there. _"This needs to stop." _he thought with determination.

Heading towards the library, Bif crossed the snow covered asphalt. As much as he enjoyed being left to his self, it was quite chilly out and he was only wearing a black wool coat and rabbit fur-lined leather gloves. To keep up appearances, he needed to wear expensive clothing, which his family could not afford. They tried their best and he did not expect them to spend their hard earned dollars so that he could keep up a façade. His parents were able to buy him the gloves for Christmas, but that was it.

Bif's cold cheeks stung when they were first hit with the heat from inside the library. He imagined that his face was about the same color of his hair. The experienced boxer did not expect any warm greetings; sure, the nerds were terrified of him, but he was in their domain. He was not there to cause any sort of trouble though.

It was a tad bit intimidating walking through the entrance arch of the high ceilinged building. To be quite honest, he had not entered that learning facility for years. When he was fourteen, a few of the other preps began to question why he went there. Bif told them that he needed to do some research for a thesis paper and they laughed and told him to just wing it, as was the way of the rich. He tried to explain his need for better than average grades (without exposing that he was only at the school from a scholarship), but they would have none of it. A prep pays for grades with money, not honest work. Ever since then, he was afraid to blow his cover by studying in the library, which meant he had to put extensive work in stretching out facts he gained from lectures and his textbooks.

A second level had been added to the busy building, Bif noted when he laid eyes on a polished staircase. That had not been there three years ago. Wanting to get away from Ms. Carvin, who was screeching at him about leaving her exceptional students alone, Tremblay decided to investigate the addition.

There was not very much other than tall shelves filled with older books, the redhead sighed at first glance. Looking down the other end, he saw a group of astronomy vested nerds gathered around something. He should have just traveled back down the stairs to find an empty chair to ponder away in, but curiosity got the best of him. Strong steady steps carried him down to his genius peers, his Aquaberry clashing with the green.

It was a chess game. Two pale, short, scrawny boys sat on either side of a checkered table. Bif recognized one to be Earnest (Derby thoroughly detested him) and the other was Donald. Five guys and one girl surrounded them. Eagerly watching the smoothly calculated moves, it took awhile for them to notice Bif. He soaked in the few minutes he had to be unknown; he once loved to play this game with his father. In that time, Donald took one of Earnest's pawns with a bishop, which was taken by a rook in the following turn.

A nasally voice then spoke up. "What are _you _doing here?" It was Cornelius. This caught the attention of the rest of the group.

Earnest, whose back was to Bif, took a quick peek over his shoulder and then returned to staring at his pieces. "Did Harrington send you?" His high and mighty tone irked the boxer.

"No, I just stopped by for a few moments of peace."

The nerd leader scoffed. "You preps think you can walk all over us, coming in here whenever you please. You don't see us wandering into Harrington House."

"It is a private residence." Another sneer sounded. "And since do any preps venture in here?"

The leader did not bother to reply, but his opponent did. "One of you showed up this morning too. That guy sure was looking poor, crying and such."

"Who was it?" Bif raised an eyebrow.

By a shocked expression that flashed across Donald's face, it was obvious that Earnest shot him some sort of look. "I-I don't recall his name."

All it took to get the answer out of him was a stern, "Anderson."

"It was Gord! He's still sitting in the woodworking section with the cobwebs!"

"Thanks."

`*~~~*`

Sure enough, there was Vendome, curled up in a ball on the ground between two all but abandoned shelves. He looked worse than Bif had ever seen him. Gord's eyes were puffy, pink, and very sore looking, with tears still leaking from them. His sweater was also torn and there were marks on his face as if he had taken a hit or two. Blood thinly trickled out his nose. "Vendome, what happened?"

Sniffling and rubbing his eyes, Gord slowly made eye contact with Bif. The ex-prep immediately jumped to his feet. "Bif!" The brunette threw himself on the boxer, embracing him around his chest. He continued to cry shamelessly into the black coat. "Oh it was simply horrid!"

All Bif could do was straighten his back and shift around awkwardly, leaving his arms at his sides. "People have been saying that you were unfaithful to Hopkins. Is that what happened?"

"No!" his head rubbed into the redhead's shoulder. "Well yes…"

"Did he hit you?" Tremblay could not believe that Jimmy would actually strike the weaker boy.

"Of course not! It was those greasers. Those filthy dirty greasers did this to me." he sobbed a few more times. "They had a plan to split us up. Isn't that the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard of?!"

Bif swallowed back a lump of guilt. "What?"

"Johnny V. set me up."

"Oh." They were preps, in the nerd hangout, about to discuss a scheme devised by greasers. Somehow Bif did not find that entirely comfortable. "Why don't we get you cleaned up and talk further elsewhere?"


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note: **Yeeep, so this is chapter twenty-nine. I hope you enjoy, though it got a little thrown together. Getting closer to the final chapter (there's still eighteen more to go), I'm becoming impatient. I like the ending. :3

* * *

**Archy the cockroach: **Thanks for clearing that up! I kept getting confused about his last name (I like Tremblay better, since it's more unique), so I decided to write something before some boob internet yelled at me.

* * *

A Boy Named Troy

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Petey could not help but pace anxiously from one end of the trailer home to the other. Gary would most likely be returning home any moment and the younger boy had a feeling he would not like the surprise he had in store for him. The taller boy would probably glare, then sneer, and then yell. Pete loved him more than anything, but still feared him. That year without his medication couldn't be erased so completely yet.

"Are you quite sure that my staying here will be alright?" Gord asked from where he was comfortably sprawled out on the couch.

"Yeah, yeah, sure."

"Then stop pacing like a moron!"

Kowalski halted his feet, watching the ex-prep carefully. His body position and gestures read that he was calm or even aloof, but he seemed less able to control his facial expressions. A look of relief washed over Gord when he stopped walking back and forth, though he couldn't imagine why. "Are you okay?" The usually neatly groomed Vendome certainly did not appear to be. His clothes were torn and eyes puffy. A few dark blotches were starting to show on his face and neck. The latter were probably not from any kind of abuse though.

Gord scoffed. He was interrupted by whatever he was going to say by the front door creaking open.

"Femme?" Gary called out carefully, not moving a step away from the entrance. "I never leave the lights on, so it better be you in here." There was a certain growl in his voice. Pete liked to imagine that his boyfriend was a wild animal and only he could tame him. This wasn't a time for romantic daydreaming though.

"Yeah, it's me." Some sort of grunt came in reply (something that Smith would have never allowed himself to do a year ago because it would have 'lowered him to the idiocy of Jimmy') and by the sound of it he began remove his shoes.

Gord raised an eyebrow, amusement coming to his face. "Femme?"

"Shut up!" Petey tried to glare, but he had never been very good at that. "Doesn't Jim have any names for you?" The brunette visiably flinched at the question that was not meant to be malicious at all. The head boy was going to apologize, but was cut off by the owner of the home.

"Who the hell is with you?" The scarred face soon made an appearance in the living room, eyes narrowing down on Vendome.

"G-Gord." Pete answered meekly. "Jimmy's friend."

"What is he doing here, in my house no less?"

Discretion wasn't exactly the preps game, so when he muttered "I am surprised a smart boy like you can call this a house" under his breath, everyone heard.

"Careful richie, there aren't any prefects to pull me off you around here." Gary smirked. "Looks like someone had the same idea as me. What happened, your big bad boyfriend get a little rough in the sack?" The boy on the couch reached to touch a bruise on his left cheek. "Petey, don't make me ask again; what is he doing here?"

`*~~~*`

Honestly, Pete wasn't sure if he understood everything that had happened to Gord. He planned to try his best to explain it, but first decided to butter up to his boyfriend. To help buy some time to plan what he would say, he had the prep get off the couch and Gary sit down. "Why don't you just watch a movie while I go make us some hot chocolate?" he coaxed, pushing a tape into the VCR. Upon seeing the initial nudity and hearing the moaning, he quickly popped it back out.

"Filth." the ex-prep muttered and Smith laughed. Kowalski tried another one of the tapes laying out on top of the television, finding more luck this time.

"No matter how long you spend trying to find some way of bringing me around, it won't work."

"We'll see." Pete grabbed one of Vendome's arms and pulled him into the kitchen.

Stirring a dark powder in with milk he had boiling on the stove, Pete spoke to the prep leaned against a wall. "I'm still not entirely sure if I understand your situation completely."

"It is not complicated."

"You've been cheating on Jimmy, and now expect us to help. Does that sum it up?" Petey was surprised at how acidic his words came off. He shouldn't have been though; Gord hurt one of his closest friends and was probably going to cause the school to go into disarray again.

"I love Jimmy!" Vendome defensively snapped, sounding a lot like a certain girl. "I did not mean to hurt him. In fact, I was trying to help."

"By messing around behind his back? I could never do that to Gary."

"We are not like you two."

"It just had to be with a greaser, didn't it? Jim had come close to finally getting past his trouble with that clique, and you've probably just thrown all that progress down the drain." His stirring became harsher, spilling some of the liquid over the side of the pot. The stove hissed loudly.

"Maybe those grease bags deserve some type of punishment." Gord muttered.

Pete whipped around to face him. "Is that what this has all been about? Preps conspiring against the greasers?" Vendome shook his head. "Jim actually cared about you, so how dare you just use him for some stupid scheme!"

"You could not be more wrong!" Gord's voice was low and probably as close to dangerous sounding as it came. "It was Johnny who had devised a plan, not Derby. Even if he had made one too, I would not know about it since I have been removed from my group."

"Then why did Bif bring you to me?"

"Because you are the head boy and he thought you might be able to help me."

"What were you doing with him? From what I've seen, he would never go against Derby for all the gold in the world."

"He found me after I left Vance. After I crossed all the way through New Coventry, greasers harassing me the entire trek. Bif helped me gain enough courage to beg Jimmy to take me back."

"I'm guessing he didn't."

"I swear, the only reason I ended up with Vance was because I had been manipulated by that dirty Johnny V. When I saw how much my time with Vance calmed me down in my relationship with James, I was too scared that things would go back to being so terribly rocky again to end things. I know my actions were wrong, but my heart was in the right place!"

Clapping sounded and Gary appeared in the kitchen's entrance. "Drama drama drama." he chuckled darkly, clucking his tongue. "That nearly sounded like a line stolen from your vault, Femme."

"Gare…" Petey sighed. The smallest boy there was starting to actually feel a bit of sympathy for the cheater. No, that wasn't completely true. He had felt sorry for Gord as soon as Bif showed up at his desk with him. This new feeling was understanding starting to sink in. It was a lousy thing for the prep to have done to his friend, but at least it hadn't been entirely selfish. Hadn't Petey been afraid that Jimmy would go back to Trent a few months ago? That would have simply been for pleasure, with no regard to Gord.

"I still won't let him stay with me. There is no place for ridiculous Bullworth drama here."

"C'mon Gary. It'd only be for a few days, until we find somewhere else for him to live." Pete tried to vouch for the prep, already knowing of his living situation from Jimmy.

"You cannot just leave me to slumber in a bush all night long!" Gord spoke up for himself. His desperation showed as much as his annoyance.

"I don't see why not." Gary retorted, just as irritated.

Petey knew nothing else to do, so he chuckled nervously. "Don't be so harsh Gare. What if you had your heart broken? Wouldn't you want some kindness showed to you then?"

Smith dismissed this with a half grin and, "We'd never split up, let alone have you being the one to boot it." The prep may not have noticed the way Pete bit his lower lip upon hearing this, but Gary did. Nothing ever slipped past Gary Smith.

`*~~~*`

"Ow, ow Gary, what's your problem?" Petey asked as his boyfriend roughly lead him into the bedroom by his elbow. Nothing else had been said between the three of them, Gary just started shoving the smaller boy away. Kowalski knew that he had been brought into the other room where the door was slammed shut for privacy, but he couldn't think of why they needed it.

"What the hell was with that cutesy 'I'm unsure of that' bullshit you pulled back there?" Smith fumed.

"Gary, what are you talking about?" Pete had an idea of what he was talking about though. Instantly, he regretted the previous use of his body language.

"Don't lie, you know what you did." The head boy didn't say anything to this. "You bit your fucking lip!" the furious Gary explained.

"Calm down." Pete raised his hands, palms out, in front of himself defensively. "A lot of kids think they'll be together forever, but then they grow up and only a handful actually do."

The tall slender guy crossed his arms, displeased. "Who says we can't get all old and become a drain on society together?"

"I never said we couldn't!" He tried to explain his reasoning, but only ended up with his foot further in his mouth. "It's just that I have to move on soon, to my future." That came out much worse than he meant it to.

Gary's tone went eerily calm and a quizzical look came to his face. "Are you trying to say that I have no future?"

"No! Of course not!" His dirty secret thoughts were finally coming out into the open. "Um… it's just…"

His mistake ridden boyfriend ignored his bumbling. "Do you actually think that I wouldn't shoot my brains out if I thought that I'd have to crawl along here at this low forever?" That sounded like something he would do for the sake of his pride. "Sure I'm stuck at this demeaning job and crapshack now, but I won't be forever. In a couple of months, I'll be eighteen and then I can go through one of those online programs and get my high school degree." So far everything sounded reasonable. A heat rose up in Petey. "Once I have that, things will get easier. I'll be able to get a slightly better job, work my way through some two-bit community college," Gary was now smirking slightly. He was probably already thinking of getting out of Blue Skies.

Kowalski was not entirely convinced though. "Gary, high schools refuse to take you because of last year. What college will risk having you?"

Smith's eyes darkened, but his smirk remained. "My past will be locked away on my juvenile record. Local schools may have heard of me, but I doubt the whole country has been alerted to one teenager having troubles with his mental health. Hell, I'd even be willing to change my name, but I don't think it'll come to that. How fucking rare do you think 'Gary Smith' is?" Feeling ashamed, Pete's face turned even redder. "I am not going to let Bullworth hold me back in life. I am a genius; somebody is going to want me."

Petey had a feeling that Gary would do much better in the business world than himself. He was like one of those characters in soap operas: smart, handsome, devious, and ruthless. "Gare, I am so sorry… I was so busy worrying about what will happen to me, that I didn't even stop to consider you getting up out of here." He concentrated hard on staring at his shoes, slightly afraid that he would burst out in tears. Gary chuckled and pulled the smaller boy into body, wrapping his long arms around Petey.

"That is exactly why I am the brains of this relationship." Pete smiled into his boyfriend's chest. He was thankful that he had been forgiven so easily. Gary even seemed to have forgotten about Gord who was still in the other room. "Even if," his attention was called back. "by some rare chance, I am unable to get out of this life, would it really be so bad down here with me? Sure we'd have to work hard at debasing jobs that don't pay nearly enough, but we could save money. One day we would have enough to rent a house, maybe even adopt some brats." Kowalski beamed at the mention of kids. "Or, to save money, you could just knock up some woman that would look suspiciously like your mother." That was a mood killer. The head boy pulled away, laughing, and shoved his boyfriend playfully in the chest. Gary's smirk grew as he grabbed Petey's wrists and held them captive. He pulled their bodies closer together again.

Why couldn't a psycho and a femme boy have their love?


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

It took spending a night at the trailer of Gary Smith for Gord to finally realize he needed to buck up. Sitting on that ungodly horrid sofa, listening to the head boy and the psycho in the bedroom, all the prep had to do was mentally revisit the school year. How did things get as bad as they did? What did he want? Vendrome knew if he came crawling back on his knees to Derby he would be let back into Harrington House. But all of those so called friends, with the exception of Bif, threw him out onto the streets without a single care. Thinking about that clique made his throat tight, which could not be a good sign.

Where could he go? He certainly would not want to spend more than a single night at that place. Gord's thoughts traveled to little Troy. He and James had shipped the child there many times in the past. Troy said that he enjoyed being with Gary and Pete. There was a simply chilling atmosphere in the closed environment though. Gord couldn't help but feel that not everything was tidied up with Gary. Had Troy felt that way too?

As the sounds from the other room grew more feral, Vendrome couldn't help but to think about James. "How could I have hurt him so much?" he whined to himself, digging his nails into his thighs. It was utterly foolish to try to justify what he did, even just a tad bit. He had been a buffoon to fall for the greasers' trap. Gord would have done anything to take away some of the pain he had caused. He would have even gone back to halt their relationship in order to do so. Gord had once again showed James not to trust people, to keep his heart closed. Would he ever be able to freely love again after these newest wounds healed, or would there be too thick a layer of scar tissue?

Eventually the couple returned, Gary sneering at Gord. The ex-prep felt the psycho's smirk perverse. "Gord, I've gotta get going, but you can stay here for a while."

"Thank you," Gord nodded meekly towards the head boy, before forcing himself to address Gary. "I appreciate your generosity, and I promise to be gone tomorrow."

"What are you going to do?" Kowalski asked.

Gord thought carefully before responding. He would never go back to his clique. He couldn't punish James anymore by asking for forgiveness. He should not depend upon others' thin kindness any longer. He was going to have to face the situation he had feared so much. "I am going to phone Father and ask him to fill out the paperwork for a commoner's dorm."

Smith couldn't believe that he was letting some reject from Bullworth stay on his couch. According to Femme, this boy had succeeded in something that was very near and dear to his own heart: Squashing that rat Jimmy. Pathetic that Smith himself had not done such an adept job at it.

Of course Gary had known about the 'tragic' breakup of Jimmy and Gord. He kept closer tabs on the two than anyone knew about. Being doped up on medication all the time had its advantages. He could easily pull wool over Pete's eyes about his plans. Gary had even been able to convince not only Femme, but also stupid Gord, that he had had no idea about their relationship. Did they think he was that much of a freaking zombie? Troy talked about the pair all the time, and he had even discussed the relationship with his boyfriend before. Had he met Gord also? Hm, the pills did mess with him memory some afterall. Gary snickered while looking down at Vendrome. He could see the appeal of all those peroxide actresses pretending to be complete morons. It made it easy to get away with anything.

Gary considered letting Gord know about Jimmy's indiscretions. Trent bragged about his conquests all the time, and Smith had spied out a few of their rumbles before. He decided against letting the dirty cat out of the bag though. There was a good chance the two would get back together. If his understanding was correct, a certain rich and pompous clique would be trying hard to make this happen. _"Ha, let them concoct their lame little scheme." _It would work out for his best interest anyways. He wanted to wait to until Jimmy was truly down. Then he would pounce on him!

Kowalski lazily wondered if there would ever be a drama-free day as long as he was at Bullworth. Snow wasn't falling anymore, but the ground was still covered. He reminded himself to walk carefully.

The next day he was going to have to dig up an application for the dorms. Should he do that before or after picking up Gord from Gary's? If he grabbed it before, then they could go right to the fax machine and get it over with. Pete prayed that the former prep wouldn't back out of his decision. It seemed like the only sane one he had made in the past few months.

Even though it was late, he figured he should stop by the beach house to see if Jimmy was in. Kowalski felt a little bad about having spent some of his evening helping the guy who had cheated on his best friend. The lights were all on in the little shack like home, and he could hear music obnoxiously blaring. It had only been a few days since everything had gone down, so the music must have been Jim coping. Pete knocked on the door. Nobody answered or said any kind of greeting. Wary from the last time he barged in, he knocked several more times. "With that noise he must not be able to hear me," he chuckled out loud. A little nervous, Petey twisted the knob and pushed the unlocked door open. He was instantly appalled by what he saw.

The king of Bullworth had not expected anyone to come visiting, so he did not notice his small friend standing in the doorway. He blindly continued on, pulling back Trent's hair as hard as he could and enjoying the sharp sensation of the man biting into his bare shoulder. He did not want to think about Gord anymore. If he thought about the betrayal, then it would get to him. If it got to him, it would affect his ruling. If his ruling went down the shitter, then so did his status. His blonde companion was a good distraction.

He had spent nearly all his time after the break up with Trent. Northwick would pummel him if he cried, so that was a good incentive to keep his emotions hidden. He could still feel the nagging of guilt though. God, that was annoying.

Through the loud music that his alcohol induced friend had blaring, Jimmy thought that he could hear something. He tried to shake off that notion. The noise got louder though, so Jimmy tore his face away from Trent and looked over. "Shit!" he swore and tried to push the boulder of a person off of him.

Trent narrowed his eyes and continued to try to go at it.

Kowalski ripped the boom box's plug out of the socket.

"What the hell?"

"Petey!"

Pete's timid voice wavered through. "Get out Trent."

"Why should I listen to you?"

"I need to talk to Jimmy. Get out." Kowalski's voice sounded a little braver.

"Please, just do it, Trent."

"I should beat both of your asses for talking to me like that!"

"Leave!" Kowalski managed to shout without his voice getting high or strained. Jimmy thought his friend's forcefulness shocked all three of them.

After a few awkward minutes, Trent pulled on his shirt and shoes. Jimmy apologized about thirty times, promising to make it up to him. He thought that the door should have cracked after how hard Trent slammed it behind him. Kowalski stared intensely at Jimmy.

"What are you doing here?" Jimmy spat out.

"How long has this been going on for?"

"What's it matter to you?"

"You've been cheating on Gord."

Jimmy inhaled sharply. "In case you've been living with your head up your ass, I'll fill you in. Gord was screwing around with that greaser!"

"You were doing the same thing to him. How can you stand yourself? Being all righteous, letting him feel like a monster. I think that makes you worse than him!"

"You don't know what you're talking about! Get out of here. Go back to your screw loose boyfriend."

"Where's Troy?"

"He's been staying in my dorm room."

"Wasn't he staying here to get away from the dorms?"

Jimmy sighed and laid back on the bed. He knew he was doing wrong, but having Petey there shoving it in his face made it even worse. His hand fell back behind his head. This was Gord's bed. What was he doing bringing Trent back there? He felt like shit and didn't know what to do. Jimmy's head felt unusually heavy. There was a feeling of pressure in his cheeks and his throat was sore.

Lucky for him, the head boy left soon after he had slapped his hands to his face and began to sob. His body shook, clattering the bed on the floor. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried and felt embarrassed even doing it in privacy.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Note:** I apologize for leaving anyone who read this story hanging.

Chapter Thirty-one

He could barely believe his eyes when he saw Gord following Pete down the dorm's main hallway. And he wasn't wearing his favorite brand even though it was a Saturday. _What gives?_ Troy peered from the doorframe of Jimmy's room. He had been staying there since his older friends had their fight; the place on the beach was so tense that he actually felt safer with all the boys who threatened him for the hell of it.

The head boy led Gord to a room directly across the hall. "Okay Gord, this'll be your room." Petey double checked the door number and glanced down at the clipboard he was carrying.

"Do I really need to stay in this particular one?" Gord whined. Troy glanced around and saw that he was not the only boy spying. The other stares didn't seem friendly though. "It's too close to…"

"Sorry, but there just aren't a lot of spare rooms right now. In fact, there technically isn't any. This room was Troy's, but your stepmother bought it out." The head boy patted the taller male on the shoulder. "It won't be so bad. Jim is never here anyways. Do you want me to help get you settle in?"

Troy could see that Gord did not look like he wanted to be alone, but he still answered, "No, I will be fine. You have plans with Smith, I assume."

The short underclassman waited until Kowalski left to wander through Gord's open door. _So this is my room? I almost forgot about it. Pete said it was bought out. I bet Mom didn't even ask where I was staying. _There was not much for furniture inside the dorm. A standard bed was pressed to the wall and a desk stood across from it. A wardrobe looked to be molding in a corner. There wasn't a window in this room, making it feel smaller and stale. All Gord had for personal belongings were two boxes of clothes. Troy had helped Hopkins pack up the other boy's things. It'd been surprising how much time Jimmy spent folding each article of clothing before tucking it in. There'd been more than two boxes though.

"Did you get all your stuff?" Troy asked.

Gord jumped a little. "Oh, Troy, I did not see you." The young boy was conflicted about how to feel when seeing Vendrome's haunted face. He wished for Gord to be happy, but he had also taken a shovel to the dirt. "Yes, I grabbed everything. Thank you for packing it. I know James could never have done such a lovely job."

"What happened to the rest of it?"

"I donated most of my clothes."

"Why?"

"Well, I've decided that Aquaberry is definitely not my cup of tea. It is so dated." He tried his best to pull out a light smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Been sleeping here."

"Oh, did I take your room? I apologize, there must be—"

"In Jimmy's room. He kinda gave it to me to use."

At the mention of his ex-boyfriend's name, the teen looked ten times as distraught. "Is he… How is he handling everything?"

Troy didn't know how to answer this, so he didn't. Instead, he began to help Gord take his clothes to the old wardrobe.

After they had finished their task, the pair of boys stood in an uncomfortable silence. Troy hesitantly asked Gord about how he was doing. He received a short answer about his father being upset about his moving out of Harrington House and his stepmother trying to help bring him around.

"It is almost funny," Gord darkly chuckled. "I never thought she liked me. Now I find out she is one of the last few people who do."

"You shouldn't have done that to Jimmy," Troy blurted out. He didn't want to hear a pity party from either one of the boys who looked after him.

"I know, and I regret it terribly. Going behind his back, losing his trust, was the worst act I have ever committed." A few silent tears slid down his face. He apologized as he wiped them away. "They say after a while your tears all dry up; I have never found this to be true."

"You do cry a lot."

Gord laughed at that.

"I hope you guys make up. I like being on the beach more than here."

"I'm afraid I cannot envision that happening, not after what I have done. Why have you been sleeping here? You shouldn't punish yourself, and James would probably like to have you near. He might stomp around and yell, but I know he needs somebody."

Troy did not think it was his place to say that he did have someone. Or that that someone was the reason Troy was stuck in the dorm. He sighed, ignoring the question. He knew that Gord had a right to know. Once he did find out, Troy wondered if Gord would start calling him by his real name again. Lawford hoped not.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

Pinkie leaned back against Chad whilst propping her calves on Derby's lap. Her snippy laughs came naturally whenever an insult was tossed. Chad happened to continuously rub his shoulder, brushing his arm against Pinkie's chest. Justin pretended to be attentive during the prep meeting, but was really watching muted cartoons on his phone. Derby soaked in the attention from being the main speaker.

Bif couldn't exactly remember how the informal get together had come about. He assumed that his own attendance was the result of following their leader back after class. Usually the red head tried to memorize every moment he spent with his best friend, but he was just so exhausted. There was all the schoolwork he had to find time to do in privacy. He had been secretly socializing with Gord a few times a week. And, at Derby's request, he had been keeping close tabs on Jimmy. It seemed like he was spending most of his time incognito. It was quite taxing.

Somehow, Pinkie had managed to get the floor away from her cousin. Bif tried to hide his look of disgust while she regaled her adventure of cutting in the lunch line. "So then the stupid twat told me to go to the end of the line! It was appalling to hear such commoner speak to me like that. We really should implement a caste system here."

"Hm… yes we should." Derby replied. It was obvious that he had been too busy waiting for his turn to talk again to listen. He had something up his sleeve. "So Bif,"

"Yes?"

"How has your little investigation been faring? Do you have any notes?"

What was there to say? "Hopkins has not made any contact with Vendrome yet. His judgment does not appear to be as heavily affected by the split as we had anticipated." All eyes stared at him, inquiring for more. Jesus, had he been like this in the past? "Um, they both seem sad."

"Really? They both seem sad?"

Bif nodded.

"You have spent weeks looking into this, and that is what you choose to report back? They both seem sad! And I suppose next you will tell me that Algie is a bit on the overweight side."

He really hated to be chided like this. In the past, he had been so intoxicated by his friend that that treatment didn't faze him, but the curtain was beginning to rise. "What else would you have me tell you? I don't know what you want to hear."

"I want to hear that you've stopped acting like a filthy democrat and have started to take your assignments seriously! We've a plan to set in motion and it won't work without intel."

"Yeah Bif, I want to see what happens! It is going to be delicious." Pinkie chirped, delighted. The others seemed to be just as excited.

"You've got what you wanted Derby; Gord is miserable. I don't think—"

"That's right Bif! You don't think! I do. I am a Harrington. We stick to our guns and we have no superiors. James Hopkins must fall." The others cheered a little. Derby became sidetracked with his own greatness and the meeting went slack for a while. That is until the young Harrington glowered at the boxer and threw out, "Bif, you've got an uncanny ability to speak with the low of status," That was a jab. "I will need you to give Hopkins a message tomorrow evening. Let's say, oh at six thirty."

He slumped as he made his way through the crowds of kids throwing snowballs. How had Derby convinced him to go through with this? It hadn't come from debasing or threats. Oh, that was right! Bif finally agreed when the blonde asked him in private. In Bif's room. Without a shirt on. _I wonder if he knows the way he affects me. _

Derby had become interested in Zoe. Justin had been sent to learn of her ideas towards the breakup between Gord and Jimmy. Apparently, her mind was set in a way that could prove to be beneficial towards his plans. Bif was no longer given the exact play by plays of the scheme.

He checked his digital watch while pretending to be interested in a lopsided snowman Pedro constructed. Hopkins was sitting on top of a brick wall, observing all of the festivities. The time was about right, so Bif trudged himself up to the king.

"Hopkins."

"What do you want?"

"Keep it down will you?" Bif feigned being nervous and darted his eyes around. "I should not be telling you this, but it is urgent."

"I don't want to hear it." His beady eyes looked ready to learn though.

"The preps," Again, Bif searched for imaginary eavesdroppers. "They're planning to start a new clique war against the greasers."

"Why the hell would you be telling me this? You'd never go behind Derby's back." Jimmy paused and then pitched, "And I don't even care what happens with you rich assholes or those sleaze balls."

"They've got three of them just down the road towards New Coventry. The first phase is a thorough egg pelting."

"I don't care!"

"Zoe is one of the cornered three."

It wasn't immediate, but Jimmy did get down from the wall. He shot Bif a glare. "She's not one of them."

"Whatever you say."

He started to take off, but stopped to turn back. "Why would greasers need me to help them against you guys? Most of you preppies really suck."

"Power in numbers my friend. Nearly all of our residents are down there, even some of the kids. We were trying to make a point, but I fear it may go too far. You have no doubt seen the contempt Pinkie holds towards other girls."

"Pinkie's there?"

"She's running the show."

"Fine, but this better not be one of your stupid plans again or something. I'm in no mood Bif!"

Jimmy stormed off so quickly, that Bif had to jolt forward to catch back up with him. He had forgotten to throw in his final line. "Oh and Hopkins?"

"What?" He answered, not slowing down or looking over.

"Let's not tell Derby about this little conversation."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

Jimmy's gut told him that he was walking into a trap. He didn't really care though; he was really in the mood to pummel someone and either a greaser or a preppie would do just fine. Hell, he'd even be willing to take on the entirety of both cliques at once. He just didn't care.

School sucked worse than usual. He hated seeing Gord. First, there were those damn hickeys all over his neck that filled him with rage. Then, after those faded, there were still a few scratches and bruises left on his face. Those still made Jimmy want to beat him unconscious, but also made him want to grab the guy in a less violent way. It'd be easier if Petey was there for him, but the head boy wouldn't speak to him until he admitted his faults to Gord. The only person he had a normal conversation with in the last three weeks had been Troy. That kid wasn't known for being chatty.

The further down the street Jimmy raced, the more his doubts grew. Shouldn't there have been more activity or something? Hell, if he even so much looked at an old hag funny, the police were all over him. A bunch of warring kids should have set off some alarm.

He did reach Zoe though. Only, she wasn't in any kind of distress. Far from it. She was leaning on her propped up bike, greaser boyfriend standing nearby. A leather jacket protected her from the chilly wind. _Way to rub it in my face. _

The only truth Bif told him was that there were three of them. Zoe, Hank, and smaller third one that had his back turned. Jimmy had a feeling he wouldn't like the smug face once he recognized it, so he decided to turn around. He didn't make it before connecting eyes with his old flame.

"Jim? Is that you?" Zoe smiled widely and waved; Hank sort of shuffled in place; and the other greaser outright flinched. The red haired girl stepped away from her prized bicycle and began to come towards him. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," he thought about making a break for it, but he owed her more respect than that.

When she came close enough, Zoe pulled him into a familiar hug. Her hair now fell to her shoulders and tickled his rosy nose. "Haven't seen ya in forever! You don't come around enough."

"Yeah yeah. I've been busy."

"I know," she pulled away and bobbed her head up and down slowly. "I know."

_I hate those preppies._

"You know what? We were just talking about you. Come join us; it might be enlightening." She grabbed his hand with hers. He felt her chapped skin through the many holes in her black mittens.

"I can't. Got stuff to do."

"No, come on, come on."

Hank greeted them with, "Zoe, what are you trying to pull?"

"I think these two need to have a little chat."

Jimmy regrettably looked over at the other male. He sucked his lips in and bit down aggressively on the bottom one.

_I really hate those preppies._

It wasn't surprising that Zoe didn't trust Derby at first. Although she considered herself above the silly titles of the cliques, she knew that the preps pegged her as a greaser. Why would he want to help her? She believed in giving everyone a chance at least once though, so she listened. And the more he crooned the less she thought it to be a horrid idea. Zoe knew that Harrington was going to benefit from this plan somehow, but she realized that Jim might too.

She cared about Hopkins as if he were her own brother. He had gotten her back into school and back into having dreams for the future. She owed him so much. A nice appreciation gift might be to make him happy again, even if his thick head didn't want it.

"Vance, Jim, you two really need to talk. Normally, I'd tell you to throw a few punches first, ya'know take off the edge, but I'm kinda afraid Jimmy would murder you."

"This ain't right," Vance muttered. She was sure Hank nodded in agreement. Jimmy just glared.

"Why would you rather sit around and do nothing and hate each other. It's such bull! At least you two could communicate a little, maybe shed some light onto the other."

Jimmy rolled his shoulders back and tightened his fists up. She could see his knuckles turn nearly the same color as the ground around them. "There is nothing to say. Gord turned out to be a freaking phony, like everyone else, and screwed this scumbag! The end, happy Zoe?"

"But why did this happen? Vance and Gord are both generally nice guys. Why would they do this to you? I mean, Gord pretty much told the world that he loved you."

"He lied."

Vance spoke without his defensive mannerisms. Zoe had never heard any of the boys in the clique let themselves sound so meek before. "No, he didn't."

"Shut your friggin' mouth," Jimmy turned on the guy, getting right in his face. With open palms, he shoved Vance hard enough to push him to the ground. The greaser didn't rise off his bottom. "You have nothing to say to me." When Jim wound his foot back, Zoe took it as a cue to step in.

She grabbed Jimmy's arm and tugged him back a bit. "Why would Vance lie to you about that?"

He wheeled on her. There was viciousness in his little eyes that took her by surprise, though it settled down quickly when he refocused on her and the tall bulk of a man behind her. "Please," he mumbled. "Don't make me do this."

"Gord really was into you Jimbo." Vance spoke up from the ground. "I could tell that he wanted you instead of me."

"He had me and went off with you."

Vance narrowed his eyes. "You weren't really there for him. You didn't care nothing about him."

Jim shook his head once, looking like he wanted to tear the guy's skull off still.

"The only reason he came around me was because you made him feel like dirt."

"I was good to him. He went behind my back."

Zoe added, "You were pretty flippant towards Gord. At least, in front of everyone else."

Jimmy closed his eyes for a second. Was he looking back? "That's how I am. He knew that."

"You were never that way with me. Sure, we messed around with each other, but you never just shrugged me off."

There was a pause. Hearing all the tense breathing made things even more awkward. Finally Jimmy replied. "Okay, so I was a jerk. He should have said so and left."

"Kid is mental about you. He never would've done that."

"So what, we're blaming all this cheating crap on me! What kind of BS is that?"

"Jim, nobody is pinning it on you. Those two made horrible decisions, and I'm not saying you should go rushing back into a relationship with Gordo or become besties with Vance. I just think you should have all the facts before you go on."

An air of resignation pulled around Hopkins. Perhaps, there was something else that made him stay to hear them out as well. "Let's get this over with." Jimmy held a hand out to Vance and didn't pull it back before the greaser could grab onto it like a child would have.

Zoe thought Jim stoic as he listened to the nervous Vance try to explain the entire situation. The kid himself was confused still from everything. He rambled on about how Johnny found perfect times to catch Gord when he was vulnerable, yet rushed through parts when he had actually been with the prep.

She couldn't bring herself to hate Vance. He had hurt Jimmy, but had been under a little manipulation. In the end, they both had feelings for the same guy, neither one of them showing it in the right way.

"Who cares what Johnny did? He didn't hold a gun to Gord's head or anything." He used his calloused words. The young woman could see a wheels turning in his head though. Had a little hope worked itself into his thoughts?

"He played with his emotions and junk!" Vance explained, desperate to clear Gord's name, if only a little.

"Jim, if you had to describe Gord to someone who had never met him, what would you say?"

A little smirk came to the king's lips when he replied, "Drama queen," to himself more than anyone else. "I've gotta go."

"Remember Jim," she started as he had begun to walk away. "You've gotta be clear headed. Take some time!"

Taylor hoped she had done the right thing. Vance looked miserable and shaken up by the entire event, but he kinda deserved a little more punishment than just losing his boy candy. She didn't want Gord to get off the hook either; however, she wanted Jim to be happy most of all.

"I don't 'spose you're gonna fill me in here?" Hank asked as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm just trying to even out the playground. It's sick how far some bullies will go to mess with others."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

Gord was pleased that none of those vile greasers' marks seemed to be on his face anymore. At least he would not have to carry a physical reminder of his mistakes for the rest of his days. Five weeks had stretched by since Valentine's Day. During this time, Vance had made several attempts to speak with Gord, going so far as to stop by his dorm room. Luckily, because of the endless harassment he received from his peers, his door had been locked. He had not had any communication with James. When they passed each other at school, Gord humbly and shamefully averted his eyes. He missed being with the school's king, though not because of any title or standing. That had been the appeal in the very beginning. Well, that and hormones and a minor fight with Vance. He missed the warmth of James' stocky body. He missed complaining about what a mess Jimmy made when he brushed his teeth. He missed his sour, yet somehow alluring, body odor. Most of all, Gord longed for the way he had felt when with Jimmy. Every day there had been giddiness, comfort, and pure simplistic joy.

A very slim part of Gord was realizing that it was just high school. This would only be a fraction of his life, and more loves would surely come. In the years forward he would lose some of the precious memories from their time together. He may forget Jimmy's freckles, his boisterous laugh, or even his name. Father had said that he was acting outrageous, giving up the Harrington House for a crush—Gord had not braved telling him it was a boy on top of everything else. The feelings he harbored toward James had been real though. Why did the world want to diminish their worth just because he was young?

The mirror set into the door of his wardrobe had a permanent layer of dust or grime on it. Gord had scrubbed it numerous times, wanting to get a clearer vision of himself in the new uniforms he purchased a few weeks earlier. Now he was used to the blurry reflection. It rather fit how he felt about the boring colors and poor fits. He sighed, pulling on a sweater with the Bullworth logo on the right side of the chest. It was a dark navy blue and very soft. He twisted around, trying to get a good image of the back. _Shame it covers my ass. _

Two knocks sounded from the other side of his door. _Who could that be? _They had been too loud for it to be Troy. It could have been Kowalski or Bif. Both of them had been visiting every few days. It was rather funny. While part of the school hated him for being gay and it seemed that most of the rest hated him for being a cheat, he somehow found himself growing stronger friendships than he ever had before. Two more knocks came. They were so forceful. "Who is it?" Gord called, unsure if he should risk opening the door.

"Open. The. Door. Now!"

Jimmy mulled over the information he had gotten from Vance for some time. After a few days, he took a timeout to track down Johnny V, before resuming his thinking period. Now that most of the scrapes on his knuckles were healed over, he felt that he succeeded in knowing what his plan of action was.

Being the middle of March, the days were getting longer and the weather less biting. It had been a while since it snowed, but a few inches of it still remained. Jimmy was nearly comfortable in his grey t-shirt and jeans. He walked with a determined pace, pushing people out of his way instead of going around. He hesitated only when reaching the main door. Something wasn't right. An idea popped into his head and he marched with the same dive across the way.

Upon seeing Jimmy's approach, Ms. Peabody began squawking at him to go away. Under normal circumstances, he may have had a little fun trying to sneak past or sweet talk her, but there were things to do. He stepped into the garden, crushing a few plants, and began to pull at random flowers. Peabody screeched louder. He had what he stopped by for and let her return to scoping out boys that could be potential hazards to her girls.

This time Jimmy pushed the door right open. Any conversations taking place in the busy common room and hallway stopped. When was the last time he stopped by this place? He looked over to the room that Troy had said was now Gord's. All the other boys present traced his stare. Jimmy gave the dirtiest scowl he could manage. Most of the guys scrammed or at least had the decency to pretend to ignore his presence. He chewed on his lip a little before knocking on the door. The flowers in his half-assed bouquet were already starting to lean in his tight grip. He pounded his fist twice, then heard the collective intake of air from the boys that had remained.

Too much time passed. He was going to feel like a real jackass if Gord wasn't in there. It'd be even worse if the kid was ignoring him. Whispers began to form. What a bunch of girls.

He knocked again. Behind him was his own dorm room. If he and Gord ever worked things out, then maybe he should stay there more often. There was certainly a convenience factor. Troy poked his head out. Jimmy had forgotten that his room was currently on load to the kid. The blonde child eyed the flowers and whispered, "Let him know it's you," before retreating back into privacy. Jimmy could have sworn he heard a girl's giggle after Troy closed the door.

Gord rushed up faster than he thought possible to open that door. He didn't realize that he had been holding his breath until James lightly shoved him out of the way and the air was forced out. He went to close the door, only to pause. Door open or closed? It seemed as though this could be classified as a private moment. At the same time, he didn't want to make the other boy uncomfortable.

"Close it." Question answered. Jimmy made himself at home and plopped down on Gord's bed. That left the slimmer boy to stand awkwardly with his arms loosely crossed. "Here," James thrust a wilting bunch of flowers towards him. Dirt clods were hanging from the still attached roots. The gesture was nice and more than he deserved.

"I do not believe buttering me up is required at this point." He took the poor flowers and set them atop some math homework spread out on his desk. Let the teacher work harder to read it. "I am really sorry," he started, working to keep his eyes on his recent ex. He needed James to hear it without any silly wailing or sobbing. "I understand what I have done to you, and I can only hope you will be able to heal from it. I'm so sorry." He began to get a little watery and gave himself permission to stare at the floor.

"I know you are."

They stayed silent for a while. It was not completely uncomfortable. Gord did wonder what James felt being in the same room again. Nostalgia? Rage? Insecurity? "I miss you."

"Same here." Hopkins closed his eyes and laid back. His head settled into Gord's pillow. The former prep knew he would sleep better that night.

"Why are you here?"

"Booty call," Jimmy calmly said, crushing the mood, and perhaps secretly exciting Gord a tiny bit. He laughed and said he was kidding. "I've been thinking that we should probably talk or something."

"You? Talk?"

"Yeah."

"Are you really the great Hopkins?" Gord laughed at James' irritated frown, which flickered with a smirk. "I really wanted to stop it. I… I was weak and I know that is not an excuse, but—"

Hopkins cut him off. "Vance told me about it."

Gord was floored. He had feared just the slightest bit for the greaser's safety the past few weeks.

"I know about Johnny and everything. And that I should have been nicer and junk, but that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Oh?"

"I have something I want to say to you."

"What is it?"

"It's just something I think needs to be said."

Gord was thrilled to see Jimmy again, but was growing tired of this roundabout conversation. He could tell James was going over a script in his head. It was sweet. He'd rather actually hear it though. "Just tell me what it is. Whatever it is."

Hopkins took a deep breath and rambled out, "Look, we both like each other and stuff, but I think I need more time. You probably do too. I don't like how we left things off, and I just wanted to let you know that I still… you know." Gord shook his head. "I don't think I want things to be over."

He could feel his lips rise and emotions soar. Gord tried to keep a poker face. "What do you suggest we do?"

"I think we should wait awhile."

"How long?"

"I don't know!"

"A week? A month? A year?"

"How about," he looked a little terrified, being pushed to make a decision. "When the snow melts."

Gord hadn't expected that answer, so whimsical. It was a soft and negotiable date, which was something that he would pick. "Then what?"

"We'll go out somewhere, if we're both still into it."

"Like a date?"

"If you have to call it that… yeah, a date."

He wanted to jump up, do a twirl, and yell about how great life was. Gord did manage to keep his composure. He settled things with a simple agreement. They shared a slightly awkward almost hug that resulted in them basically just patting one another's shoulders. Jimmy then left, leaving Gord wishing that he had a larger hair dryer that he could use to aid the melting process.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

As the two hulk-like prefects strolled away, Pete allowed himself a sigh of relief. Being head boy technically elevated him to a higher status than them (in fact they had just been checking in and handing off some paperwork), but he still got nervous enough to stammer when around them. Perhaps it was their freakishly tall height and built bodies. Or it could be from all the times he was harassed by them in previous years. Whatever be the reason, Kowalski dreaded when his duties involved them. He wished he could be more like Jim. The king of Bullworth never feared prefects. He even taunted them for fun.

Petey watched the two figures now in the distance pull out their flashlights. Yellow beams flickered in front of them. It wasn't pitch black out yet, but the sun definitely was setting. The red and yellow sky enveloping the school grounds was a tad bit surprising to the head boy. Where had the day fled to? Last he remembered noticing it was only early afternoon. There was too much to dwell on inside his head. He missed Gary of course. They hadn't seen each other for a few days, and he could always feel his mood sour the longer their separation. There was also the matter of his best buddy. Jimmy was acting like such a jerk! Pete did not enjoy seeing his friend do wrong. And going along with his Jim problem, there was Gord. Kowalski had been making sure to visit the guy every now and then. He liked Gord now that some of his attitude had dissolved and he actually remembered his name. Seeing him so defeated was major downer. Maybe part of that had something to do with the guilt he was feeling for keeping Jimmy's secret.

What could he do with the remainder of his day? There was his fresh paperwork to look through. He skimmed it with the natural light still left. A messily written schedule for the following week sat on top. He didn't know why they bothered; it was always the same. Underneath it were at least twenty of the forms they had to fill every time they forcefully detained a student. Pete shuddered. That was not the first stack of them they delivered that day.

The thought of going back inside the school to call Gare crossed his mind. It was still probably too early to reach him though. He wanted to talk to his boyfriend so badly. He needed someone to unload all of his troubling thoughts onto, and Gary always had an interesting perspective. Maybe talking about Jimmy's ill behavior was not a good idea. Lately, Gary was looking for any reason to trash Jim.

Before he realized what he was doing, Pete discovered that his sneakers were carrying him towards the front gate. Slipping away to go see Gary on a Wednesday night? What was he thinking? Thinking could very well be his problem though. Petey overanalyzed every situation. And Gary had told him to be more spontaneous. The head boy took responsibility of his feet and continued on down the road. He might even skip all of school the next day as well.

The streets were completely empty for the first few blocks away from the academy. Pete noticed the figure walking his way about four blocks out. The closer they got to each other, the more his stomach warned him. He attributed this to being nervous about breaking so many rules.

Blonde hair was the first thing he recognized. Next it was the stench of booze and the masses of pure threatening muscle. Pete tried his best to keep his head down. Why would Trent be venturing so close to the school? _Oh Jim I wish you would just give up on this guy. _There was no real reason that he should have been mildly shaking. What kind of a beef did the roid rage actor have with him?

"Hey! You're that punk!"

Well, there was that night Pete found a semblance of courage and yelled at the guy to leave. Surely, the drunk couldn't remember that.

The beast roared again, "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

Crud. There wasn't anybody else nearby. Trent was addressing him. Pete could feel his breathing gain speed as he started to inwardly panic. Shouldn't he turn around and run? What was the sense in coming even closer to him? They were only a little over a street apart. Kowalski kept moving forward. _I should at least stop. _He didn't. If only he could have been frozen in fear, instead he couldn't halt his motion.

"I am going to pound you."

A pair of hands grabbed onto Pete's shoulders and he couldn't stop his terrified scream. The grip tightened. Whoever was behind him began to gently pull him back. After a few steps, a voice whispered in his ear, "Kinda late to be out Femme."

"Gary!" Pete could have started crying, partially from relief and some just from being near the tall slender boy. He tried to turn around to face Gary, but was stopped.

"Now's not the time to get all lovey on me. It seems you've managed to piss off the pimpled ogre."

Pete at least turned his head far enough back to get a glimpse. He was wearing a dark grey sweatshirt with the hood up. "Shouldn't we run?" A car drove by. Did they find this scene interesting at all? Could they feel the nerves pulsing through the teens?

"No. That would make you stick out in his imbecile brain all the more. Just stay here with me and let him pass."

They waited wordlessly for the bully to get within a yard's distance. Pete had thought for sure that he was going to charge them. He stumbled forward at his slowed pace. "Gary. Sup?" Trent greeted. Did he not realize that he was shouting threats a few moments ago?

"Nothing. Where are you headed off to buddy?" Gary's tone hinted at condescending.

He kept on walking, passing by before responding. "Gonna get Jimmy and punch his lights out. Then I'm comin' back for that one."

"Bullworth is crawling with prefects right now for the evening curfews."

"So?"

"Jim's in the dorms. You'll never get to him now. Just go home."

"Can't. Not alone."

"C'mon, I'll walk you back. We can have a drink at your place."

"Gotta kill Jimmy. Punk won't get in touch."

At this point Gary had to shout to get to the blonde. "Alright. Have a good night then."

"Bye."

Gary started to laugh after the other boy was out of earshot. He took his hands off Pete and cracked his knuckles. Pete frowned. "Don't worry, he'll never make it. Prefects will smell him before he even gets to the gate."

"Why aren't you at work?"

"I took a day off as our friend there apparently did."

"You could have told me. I was on my way to go see you."

"I noticed you naughty little thing." Gary smirked and gave a devilish wink.

"Why were you coming from that direction anyways?" Smith put an arm around Pete's waist and started them walking towards his trailer.

"Does it really matter?" Pete didn't respond. "You're not going to like my answer."

"Were you on school grounds? Do you know how bad it would be if you got caught!"

"Well I obviously outsmarted that brilliant staff. Gee, who would have thought?"

"What were you trying to do?"

"Relax, I just wanted to see if I could find the kid. I haven't seen him since the world changing split." Gary gave him a little squeeze and Pete couldn't help but smile. He certainly didn't approve of his boyfriend being near the academy. The reasoning was sweet, and gave him some really good feelings about his villainized partner. He was so enamored that he didn't noticed when Gary swiped the prefects' schedule later that night.


	36. Chapter 36

Author's Note: Sorry it took a few days to get this part up. I got stuck with a double shift and lots of schoolwork to finish. This story is very nearly at its end. There are four or five chapters left. Thank you all for reading this!

Chapter Thirty-Six

In his elegant looping style, Gord penned down every word from the textbook page. He happily hummed as he worked, wiggling his feet back and forth like a child. Bif had been afraid of this.

"You can't take notes like that. There isn't a point in doing it if you just copy it word for word."

"Well I can't very well use the book during the test now can I? My notes are the next best thing."

"Ms. Hunt doesn't allow notes."

"Really? She's never said anything to me."

The ginger haired boxer rolled his eyes. How could it be that even with special treatment Gord was only pulling a C in the class? Since he already knew why the former prep was so joyous, Bif did not feel the need to ask about it. He just stayed looming as Vendrome studied at the desk. His room was quite dreary. Bif had grown accustomed to staying at Harrington House and did not want to think about what it would be like to live in such a musty room. Admittedly, his family was not rich, but his bedroom at home at least had a window. It was too bad that he feared Derby finding out about their friendship. It would be nice to hang around anywhere else.

"Bif?" Gord asked inquisitively. Tremblay knew that he was not going to like whatever came out of his mouth next. "Are you ever going to tell Derby?"

"Tell him what?"

"How you feel about him. Being in love is such a marvelous thing."

"I… I don't know what you are talking about."

"Oh come now, you can feign ignorance all you want, but I've always noticed that way you stare at him. Most people have their inklings as well."

Bif allowed his mouth to straighten into a tight line, unable to decide what route to take for a response. Following his custom, he could always deny the accusation. Or he could finally grow up and admit to being the person he was. What would Gord care anyway? Vendrome was one of the most flamboyant boys in the states.

"It wouldn't go well," Bif eventually mumbled out.

"You don't know if you never try. It took ages for James to finally let me into his life, and he is just as much a hard head as Derby."

"He's not like that. Pinky and he are engaged, and he is always looking at other wealthy girls."

"It could all be a rouse. There are more of us than most realize."

Taking nearly another ninety minutes for Gord to be through with his schoolwork, Bif was very near bouncing off the walls. He had to get out of that room! It was humid and chilly and cramped, but far too open. Being so vulnerable felt horrid. He no longer wished to share air with the boy he was helping Derby deceive. The boy that had shown more compassion and understanding than the young Harrington ever had.

"Have you heard that James and I our rekindling our relationship? It really is such good news." Gord spoke as he packed his notes into a rosy plaid courier bag. It was a wonder that he kept in the topic for so long. Must have been tugging on his mind the entire time. "I am surprised that he decided to take me back. James really does love me, but, of course, I always have had a lot of admirers."

_I should really tell him._

"I supposed we aren't technically together yet. We decided upon talking about our options when the snow melts. Isn't that just so romantic? It was his idea too! Do you think it is symbolic of his heart thawing out after my mistake froze it?"

_He'll hate me if I do. So will Derby. _

"We might as well be a couple again though. Talking options is basically a yes. I think I will wear that adorable blue—"

"Gord!" Bif hadn't meant to shout that. It seemed quite odd to do in the little room, just the two of them. Hopefully nobody else had heard him.

Gord looked flustered and a bit offended at the interruption. "Heavens Bif, what?"

"I need to tell you something. It's fine if you're mad at me afterwards; I recognize my fault. Nobody else seems to be willing to relay the truth to you and I think you deserve to see all sides of your situation."

"What are you talking about?"

A huge breath in, as much of a pause he could afford. "Jimmy has been seeing Northwick. It started before you two broke up, about the time you and Vance…" Bif swallowed hard. "Derby had it planned. He wanted to use the affair to hurt both of you. I helped him." Gord didn't say anything. "I suppose it was much like the greasers' scheme. We are more alike than we admit." Bif chuckled awkwardly at the thought, which was not the best thing to do.

"I do not believe you."

"But it's true."

Gord curled up his nose in disgust. "There is no way I will allow you to speak so poorly of James. He would never let me suffer after he committed the same acts. He's a much better person than me."

"No…"

"You are just a jealous ogre! Trent is gone and Jimmy never thinks about him! He loves me and would never betray my trust. Even after what I put him through, he could not do it. He wouldn't."

For a while Gord looked down at his uncharacteristically dirty floor. Bif understood. The smaller boy had known. Perhaps he did not know the entire situation, but he must have had his suspicions. He wasn't speaking to Bif; he was desperately trying to shut himself out.

"I am sorry for what I have done to aid this situation."

"I think you should leave," Gord very nearly seethed.

Bif nodded and complied.

As he walked back to his own dorm, the appallingly luxurious one, Bif thought about Gord's face. The kid hadn't cried, as he assumed he would. There had been pain. There had been anger. Had he seen just a spark of relief? Vendrome needed someone to hate, and Bif had been prepared to take that place. He rather have Gord try to find happiness with Hopkins than keep their hidden friendship. He had not been prepared to see an almost adult man blatantly lie to himself. Bif curled his fists. That had most definitely not been a situation he would want to repeat. He silently cursed Derby.

Derby. Now what was Bif to do about him? Bif really did like his blonde friend, just not all the parts of him. No longer would he be able to serve as faithfully as he had over the years. Perhaps he could stretch it out until the end of the school year though. He would just have to keep his eyes shut towards all the injustices Harrington caused.


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's Note: **I really am sorry this took so long for me to get out. My grandma got really sick at the end of February and she passed away in March. My grandpa went a week after her, which I think was him trying to be romantic in some sick away. I was really close to them and it's been hard. More difficult than I thought it would be. After I got back from their funeral I was greeted by all the classwork I managed to get extensions for and the current papers and projects and my job. Anyways, I guess I'm just trying to say that it's been hectic and I wasn't trying to be a jerk or anything. I haven't read any comments yet (to be honest I'm a little afraid to).

**Happy note:** I only need three more chapters to finish. Thanks for putting up with me!

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Troy had been surprised to find a note slipped into his locker. The first thought that crossed his mind was that of a girl he had been trying to put moves on. It was folded way too perfectly for her with creases sharper than the edges of the paper. He opened the notebook paper up, shielding it inside his locker. Gary Smith's name was scrawled at the bottom. It was written larger and with more care than anything else on the page.

_It's been awhile. I've thought of a really great game to play with you. A way for you to impress every moron in that worthless school. You should really have left a mark as large as the legacy of the great Jim Hopkins by now. _

_Meet me in the football field at fifteen past eleven. Sharp!_

_ And I really do mean sharp,_

_ Gary Smith_

Troy was not as dumb as most assumed him to be. He sensed trouble as he slowly pulled the note into pieces before throwing it into several trash cans. Still, he would meet his friend there.

At eleven fifteen Troy's small figure crossed through the gate and onto the pristine grass of the field. Gary was sitting on the closest bench, one leg crossed over the other. He didn't appear to be worried about being caught.

"Troy, Lawford, buddy!" Gary rose and mocked a bow at the kid. "Looks like you take after your _mummy _much more than your _daddy._" His words were sneered and his eyes wild. Troy clenched his fists tightly at his sides, trying to keep his face apathetic. "Jimmy never bothers being on time. He'll probably be late to his own funeral." Gary approached Troy and took one of his shoulders in this hand. Shaking it, Smith said, "Smile! Sheesh, what's your malfunction? It's a beautiful spring evening, the weather's been nice, and you get to see me. Haven't you missed me?"

"Sup?"

"Oh what elegance!" If it had been anyone else, troy would have thought the man was drunk. "We're going to have a scavenger hunt of sorts. I took the time to write down everything you have to do and how long you can take to do it. I even made you a goodie bag!"

Troy warily accepted a paper and backpack that was offered to him. He took note of the baseball bat sticking out of it. Skimming the paper, everything on the list seemed to include vandalism. He shook his head and extended the note back.

"But Troy, don't you want to weave your own great tale of misdemeanors, or possibly worse?"

He shook his head again.

"You know what Jimmy used to do? He'd go around thrashing things. Didn't matter what. Pop machines. Windows. Cars. He even smashed a teacher's greenhouse before getting the guy fired. Don't you want to be like him?"

Troy stared blankly.

"Hm, you're not just going to blindly go along with this. Well, that makes things a bit more unpleasant. I'll just let you know now that you will be doing everything I tell you to."

"I should go." Troy set the bag down and started to turn away.

"If you leave, then Petey's going to be expelled." Well that caught his attention. Gary explained, "Good old femme boy has been blowing off a lot of Head Boy work to come see me. How do you think Crabble-bitch is going to react when I fill him in on all the time Pete's been wasting with me?"

"Nobody will believe you."

"I've got proof. I got that lug Trent to take some nice pictures of us. It's the Bullworth way."

Troy thought about his options, but only for a second. Gary was desperate enough to hurt the one person that really cared for him, the only one to stand by him. What would Kowalski do if he was expelled? It would ruin his flawless record and all the work and effort he's put in. And what would happen if he himself were expelled. He'd move on, probably forget most of Bullworth in a few years. He was used to this sort of thing. He'd be fine.

"What time is it?"

Gary pushed a button to light up his digital watch. "Twenty-six past. You've got four minutes to get to the library. I packed a keychain flashlight if you need help reading in the dark."

Before leaving to start his mission, Troy turn and stared Gary in the face. "I guess I'll miss you."

"I know you will."

Troy let himself into the silent library, taking the route Gary planned for him. He had just twelve minutes to finish. He had been half surprised when he didn't run into any prefects. That was Gary for you though, a mastermind. The boy quickly got to work, locating the collector's and special edition shelves. He whipped a few of the heaviest books off the shelf, tearing away clumps of pages from each. For some of the other rare and expensive finds he used the two bottles of ink from the backpack. He tried not to think about Beatrice or the other nerds while he spilled the dark liquid into them. To make this task complete, Troy located the fire extinguisher on the wall. After pulling the pin, he liberally sprayed down as many shelves as time would allow.

Next was a gift for the greasers. Troy found the lock on the garage broken. Gary's suggestion was a pocket knife and the words, "Get creative."

There wasn't much time and there were at least thirty bikes stored away. He figured Gary wanted him to slash tires, something he had never personally done before. He was a little scared they would explode in his face. Too bad time didn't allow for the air to be let out first. Cautiously, he put the small but sharpened blade to rubber. He pushed down. Air gushed out and hissed furiously, but that was better than a loud bang and possible fatal injury. He was able to get at least one tire on every bike and tear open a few of the nicer seats as well.

Once he got to the third part, Troy was no longer feeling extremely anxious of getting caught. He was tired and wanted to get it over with. A part of him was curious as well.

Following the times and paths to take, Troy successfully spray painted the mascot statue. He covered the lawn in front of Harrington house with particularly smelly eggs that had been left for him. The school windows he could reach were smashed with the bat (this took an enormous amount of running and hiding).

Finally, Troy arrived back at the football field. It smelled like a Gas N Go. Two lines of fountain fireworks were laid out in the middle. A few feet in front of them another note was left for him. In large letters Gary warned him not to walk any further. He was told to take the Zippo out of the bag, light it to the ground, then run back up to the gate. Although he knew Smith was long gone, Troy raised a hand to wave out to him. His life would never be the same, but maybe it would be nice without all the drama.

The fire really was an awesome sight. It ran up and to the sides and corners of the field, creating an asterisk-like design. The loud fireworks attracted all the prefects and some students and teachers and workers. Together, they stood in amazement, or maybe shock. Troy took in the incredible heat and waited for their eyes to turn down onto him.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Gord had been waiting for what seemed to be weeks on end for his dear James to take him out on their date. The snow had been gone so long that the grass was beginning to become dry. His faith never wavered and he waited as patiently as he could. The only person he could find to complain to was Peter and then his complaints turned into pushing the head boy for information. Gord had not spoken to Bif since he accused Jimmy of being a vile cheater.

One miraculous beautiful afternoon James Hopkins stood waiting outside of Gord's last class with flowers in hand. The fact that the bouquet was crafted with purpose and not just some weeds he pulled up from the girl's dorm was enough to distract him from noticing the black eye for a moment. But just for a moment.

"My word James! What happened to your face?" He rushed towards the boy, hand extended. Jimmy flinched a bit, but allowed Gord to gently trace the tips of three fingers over the puffy eyelid.

"Nothin' much. Just got into a fight with some punk. That's all."

Something clambered around in Gord's middle and he felt as though he might vomit. He tried his best to ignore it and told James that the date plan better be spectacular for making him wait so long. The king just laughed.

Once outside under the large sun and in the crisp air, Jimmy grasped Gord's hand, even linking fingers, though it took him two tries to get it right. He could have melted. Strolling leisurely with hand holding was all he needed.

* * *

Jimmy had put off Gord as long as he could. Despite Trent being a dick and a pig most days, he still wanted to have a few more rumbles with him. This could have been blamed solely on fear of rejecting the violent drunk, and part of it was, but Hopkins knew that wasn't all.

Trent had been the first guy to approach him, like ever. Jimmy had only ever been interested in girls before then. Making out with the taller guy behind the dorms had opened some sort of floodgate of pent up hormones and desires. Some great things came from this, including Gord. Some part of him would always be thankful, or whatever, towards the bully.

Petey had finally had enough of Gord's harassment after what turned out to be weeks. When he threatened to tell Trent himself, Jimmy knew it was time.

It hadn't been pretty and resulted in a nice shiner. However, Jimmy became more enthused to see Gord again once his guilty strings had been cut. He'd only been able to put it off a few days longer, not taking Pete's advice of waiting until the injury healed.

Feeling Gord's slim kinda clammy hand in his own felt awesome. He couldn't believe that he had once been afraid to do that. They walked that way to the dorms and stayed like some more inside. Gord said he had to put his things away. Jimmy waited, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"So where are you taking me?"

"Um," he hadn't really thought that hard. Or did he think the store bought flowers would be enough. "How about we sit at the dock?"

* * *

Instead of complaining about the lack of planning or the dirtied wood bench by the lake, Gord kept his mouth shut and enjoyed being by James. There was an arm over his shoulder and he loved it so very much. If only his pesky nerves would calm.

"Who did you say hit you again?"

Jimmy took too long to answer. "Nobody really. Just some guy."

"A man decided to simply stroll up to you and give you a good ol' tap?"

"I guess."

Gord placed a palm firmly on his forehead and pulled up into his hairline. He desperately wanted to ignore the blackened eye. "Does he go to Bullworth?"

"No. Can you just drop it already?" Jimmy shifted and kept his stare out towards the greenish blue lake.

"Remember Trent Northwik?" Gord's face went as pale as Jimmy's did when he dropped the name.

* * *

Jimmy hated his rotten luck. He wanted to punch Kowalski for being right. He wanted to slug Trent too, but he also kinda wanted to kiss him. Dammit! The mess he made stared him in the face.

"Uh yeah," Jimmy dumbly answered, praying that it was some sick coincidence.

"So is it true that you've been seeing him again?" Gord's voice was too steely for it to really be him. Where were the waterworks? At least then he would know he had truly been caught.

"What? Who told you that?"

"Please, just tell me the truth."

Jimmy sighed. He'd been caught, he was pretty sure. He'd like to know how though so he could kick someone's ass. "Look, I was gonna own up to it, I swear. Gord, I am so sorry. I know—"

Vendrome cut Jimmy off. "Let's not talk about this now. I just want to enjoy our date."

* * *

Gord was near certain that he would crumble at any moment. The tears weren't coming though. He very well knew that he and James were over. How could their relationship handle anymore deception? He did not want to punish James, even for making him seem like the only bad guy. They both made the mess. He should have never pushed Hopkins to love him. He should have never hurt him with Vance. He should have listened to Bif sooner.

"So, what's going on?"

Gord loved the stupid guilty look on Jimmy's face. "We are going to have a lovely time today, cuddle in a bed tonight, and then say farewells in the morning."

"Oh," was all Jimmy said. His eyes looked like they could become wet.

Gord stood, not wanting this day to be ruined by Jimmy's soft moment. That was not his place. "Why don't we enjoy the carnival? By ourselves this time."

* * *

Trying to remember every laugh, smile, and touch that Gord gave him was making the night more painful than fun. So, Jimmy stopped. The pair taunted each other trying to dunk a jock in the tank. Jimmy hooted wildly while Gord crushed his high score in the shooting game. They cracked up as they left, both adorned in the new silly hats they had purchased with their numerous tickets.

Jimmy and Gord crashed at the beach house one last night, sharing one last rather chaste kiss before falling asleep. They slept peacefully while flames flickered and fireworks screeched at Bullworth. Neither would know the night's events until the Head Boy came rushing in the following morning, yelling at them that Troy was being escorted away.

* * *

Troy's official escort off Bullworth grounds was more like a funeral procession than anything else. Due to the sheer amount of damage, police had been called to do it. Two comically large men walked either side of the small blonde boy. They would not let any other students get close to him. Gord and Jimmy followed a few feet behind, and Kowalski and several younger girls followed in suit. Bif came and wordless joined in the line with a few preps. Much of the school poured into the yard. Crabblesnitch demanded that they dispersed, but no one listened.

His mother being late, little Troy was made to stand at the sidewalk and wait. One cop left and the other smoked a cigarette a few yards away, only yelling back when someone tried to open the gate that separated the boy from his friends.

A few hours passed. Most of the students grew bored and left as well as the policeman. Gord would stay until Troy was gone, and knew Jimmy would too. He hadn't realized that their hands had been linked the entire time.

"What on earth would possess you to do such things?" Gord whined once he and a few others were finally able to slip out the gate. Troy just shrugged. "You could have been hurt."

James nodded. "I saw the field. Pretty effin' crazy. Awesome, but crazy."

Until his mother arrived, Troy didn't say much of anything but a few mumbled apologies. He received some hugs from three girls in his class, which was able to bring some smugness to his face. When the Jetta pulled up with a woman loudly cursing to herself, Troy gave everyone a wave. The kids still present said their goodbyes.

"See ya, Troy," Jimmy waved, seeming more confused than anything else.

Troy smiled a bit. His mother leaned across him and shouted, "Who the hell is Troy? His name is Lawford," out the open window.

* * *

Jimmy slept in his dorm that night. The kid didn't seem to have cleaned anything up, and that made him happy. The next morning he was greeted by a scrap of paper taped to his forehead.

_Everyone you ever love, I will find a way to take them._

_ -GS_

The king of Bullworth growled to himself. He was creeped out that Gary had been so close to his unconscious body, but also furious about the whole Troy thing of course. It was insane that he would punish one little kid just to get back at him. He'd been right; Smith was still a nut job!

Hopkins made the decision to bring the note to Petey. After some more sleep. He'd need to be rested to rule alone again.

Crazy Gary would never defeat him. That was the one thing in life he was certain about.


	39. Chapter 39

**Author's Note: **There is only one more part left and I have finished writing it. I will upload it after I read through it once more.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Like so many times before, Bif was called to the young master Harrington's room. Dread filled his mind as soon as Tad delivered the message. He had been lying in his oversized bed, moist towel over his face, trying to push out the day's events. The kid that Gord and Jimmy parented had been escorted off only hours ago. He'd been present for some it, wanting Vendrome to spot him, to know that he still cared. Watching him wait to say goodbye brought a sick feeling to his stomach, and he retreated to his dorm. Bif would also miss the tyke. Troy had been good company that afternoon. It felt like years ago.

Bif knocked before entering Derby's room. As custom, this earned him an, "Oh for heaven's sake Bif, just come in!" He found Derby in the back, sitting shirtless on his bed. The sight increased his nausea. _Why is he never seeming to be fully dressed anymore? _It took concentration on the three pairs of shoes laid out at Harrington's feet, but Bif believed that he managed not to turn red. "Come here Bif, I need your assistance."

He crept towards his friend, keeping awkwardly off to the side. "What did you need?"

"No, no, no, come down over here." Derby patted the mattress beside him. "If I am going to be staring down at my feet the rest of the night, I want to make sure I love the sight."

He sat down as far away as he could, which earned him a look. Bif scooted closer, making sure to keep at least seven inches between them. _It seems like he does this stuff on purpose. _The thought made his heartbeat loud enough to ring in his ears. "What, uh, what did you need?"

"I'm picking out shoes for the corporate dinner Father is forcing me to attend. I just cannot make up my mind. What do you think? The loafers?"

Bif had no idea which ones were the loafers. The six black shoes all looked nearly identical to him.

"Oh, and I wanted an update on our little scheme. But the shoes first!"

"The ones on the left."

"You have saved me my man! I cannot believe that I did not see that obvious choice myself." Derby moved closer, going after the pair Bif picked.

_Should have said the ones on the right. _Bif feared that Derby could hear the pounding in his chest. Maybe he'd be able to smell the gay on him or something. He might not care.

"So anymore intel on the Hopkins front? Are he and Gord together again?"

Derby must have recently come from the shower. His skin was still a bit pink and heat radiated off him. It felt nice to be so close. Dangerous, frightening, tense, but somehow nice.

"Bif?"

He loved the way his name sounded in that voice.

"Bif!"

"S-Sorry, yes?"

"Did they get back together?"

"Who?"

"James and Gord! Jesus Bif, where is your head tonight?"

The mention of Gord pulled Bif back towards reality some. His friend was hurting, and here he was drooling over the guy that was the cause of some of it.He was being a bad person, wasn't he? Maybe he should just tell Derby, like Gord said. Then Harrington could reject him and he could try to patch things up with Vendrome. _Not a terrible idea. _

"Are you ill?" Derby put the back of one of his manicured hands against Bif's forehead. He hadn't expected the physical contact and lost control over his reddening. He swore that even the skin of his hands grew pink. "Hm, you're a little sweaty. Perhaps you should see a physician?"

Maybe Derby wouldn't just throw him aside if he knew.

"I'm fine."

"Really? Then tell me about the lovebirds."

"Well, they were spotted together at the carnival last night and I saw them together today."

"Excellent, Bif! That is just fine to know." Derby smiled and it made Bif's will waiver. Then he concentrated on the thin lips themselves and his thoughts turned back towards making a move. "We can wait a few weeks for the pain from losing that little brat to heal, and then spring our attack. Oh it will be delightful!"

"Hey Derby," Bif started, feeling as though he might be sick all over the expensive carpeting. "I think we've done enough to those two."

"What?" Derby asked with a chuckled. He leaned forward to slip on the shoes.

"I want to leave them alone. We've done enough and you had some revenge."

Instead of lashing out, Derby did something much worse. "Oh sweet naïve Bif. I forget how innocent you truly are." He sat up and was even closer than before. Putting an arm around Bif's considerably higher shoulders, he leaned in close. "One must dominate one's opponents. Winning alone simply isn't good enough."

The whole of Derby's side was pushed against Bif's body. The smell from his soap was intoxicating, but not as much so as the heat. He stared at the face that was so close to his own. _I won't even be here next year. What does it matter if I screw things up now?_

"Father taught me that when I was six. I had just come home from…" Derby yammered away in the background, completely oblivious to the struggle enraging inside his friend. Bif could hear his voice, but no longer made out what the blonde was saying.

Words didn't even have to be involved. If he just got to kiss him that would be enough, like in the movies. He closed his eyes and puckered his inexperienced lips before pushing his face forward into… into nothing.

Bif opened his eyes and saw Derby's look of disgust. The blonde had avoided him, not even giving him the chance to play out his fantasy.

"What on Earth are you trying to do!" Derby hollered.

Bif stood, feeling down, but not as crushed as he had feared.

"That was a terribly tasteless joke."

"Not a joke."

"What is wrong with you?"

The boxer began to walk towards the door. He was the most clearheaded he felt in years. Even if Derby harbored some mutual feelings, he'd never show them. He wasn't strong enough, just a weak little boy hiding behind daddy's money.

"Where do you think you're going? Come back here!"

"I'm done with this." Bif muttered, not turning back.

"What are you talking about? You can't be done." He heard Derby take a few steps forward, but not enough to reach him. "I-I'll tell everyone that you are a fake if you leave now."

"That's okay," Bif answered when he'd reached the door. He opened it slowly, wondering if he would be more upset in a few hours. His bravery and rationality might solely be shock.

"Fine then, go you freak! I'll have Father put you back in those filthy commoner's dorms where you belong. I don't care if there's only a few weeks left, I will make you suffer!"

Tired of the yelling, Bif left closing the door behind him. He was partway down the hallway when it opened again. Warily, he turned to see Derby.

"Please Bif," Derby spoke in a hushed volume. "You're not feeling well. We can just be back to normal tomorrow. We can box together! And then we can work on the plan. We've put so much into it. Please Bif!"

He had never seen Derby plead before. It was unnerving. He could take solace tomorrow in the fact that the young master Harrington liked him enough to beg. He couldn't let things go back though. In a matter of no time he will be gone from Bullworth and he rather that he left with some of his backbone.

"Derby,"

"Yes Bif?"

"I already told Gord about Northwik. Your plan is finished."


	40. Chapter 40

Epilogue

Peter wished he could have been more surprised at Gary's probable involvement in Troy's night of havoc two months ago. He had been giving Smith the silent treatment since Jim showed him the written threat. That was more to appease the king than anything else. Both he and Gary knew that he'd be back by next school year. This time, he would be sure not to tell anyone.

The great bulk of his friend Jim sat next to him on the pollen splattered school steps. Zoe plopped down on the other side of the King.

"Well kids, I'd say we've done good this year," she happily opened. "All things considered of course."

"Really?" Pete was unsure if he could see the positives outweighing the negatives. Jimmy and Gord broke up. Everyone hated his own boyfriend even more than they did a year ago. Troy was expelled.

"Well yeah! C'mon Pete, it was pretty awesome. I have a great boyfriend and I feel like I'm a lot closer to people here, you two included."

Jimmy gruffed, "I'd love to hear you brag some more."

"What? You're better off too."

"Yeah right."

"You're still the king around here, and every year that you are just confirms it more. You've got more heat under you to keep the cliques in check. And you came out of your first huge breakup alive."

"I'm going to be Head Boy again next year," Petey sheepishly chimed in.

"See! Overall, it was a good year."

"Next year will be better." A heat seemed to rise up in Jimmy. "I've got a plan to avenge Troy. Want it?"

"Definitely," Zoe agreed. Pete wanted in as well. That way he could keep tabs on it and warn Gary if anything got out of hand.

The three of them began to talk about what they hoped to accomplish next year (Jimmy's revenge, Zoe a more souped-up bike, and Pete to be in the top percent of the class) and what they would miss over summer vacation. As they chewed the fat, a very familiar figure walked by among the other passing students.

"Hey Gord!" Jim called out, no longer looking upset when he said the name.

Gord turned and took a few steps in their direction. He beamed. "James, Peter, Zoe! How are you guys? I feel like I haven't seen any of you in ages."

In reality, they had all seen him around, but his nose was usually pressed into a textbook. Daddy was no longer paying for his grades. "You look good Gordo," Zoe commented.

"Thank you very much. I found a delightful new brand of clothing. Limefig. They're simply marvelous, you like?" He did a little spin to show off his pressed khakis and soft green button up shirt, causing the three to chuckle. "So what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, you know, just bullshitting. Wanna join?"

"I would love to, really, but I have other plans to attend right now."

Pete sucked in his breath and hoped it wasn't audible. Gord declined an invitation from Jim. That was unheard of! He didn't want to see the king's reaction.

"Alright, next time."

"Of course!"

And then they continued their conversation, Jimmy nothing but smiles.

* * *

Vance had been skulking around the campus for several days now trying to find his sweet Gord all alone. That bright afternoon was no exception. Every day he had been planning his outfits carefully, wanting Gord to see him in his clean school uniform. Maybe then the two of them would just be seen as students and not a prep and greaser. He hoped that would make his Mockingbird see him in a new light. Although, if he allowed himself an opportunity to be honest, he'd admit that their ex-social cliques were not the reason they weren't together.

Wading through the crowds of excited students, Vance finally caught a glimpse of his target. Gord was walking down towards the gym. _What the hell is he going that way for? He'll get himself pummeled. _"Gord," he called out and then felt like an idiot because that would only draw attention to the guy. Gord did see him and gave him a polite smile, even stopping to allow Vance to catch up.

"I've been looking around for ya everywhere!" he greeted when he finally reached Vendrome.

"Really? I'm sorry I didn't notice. I've been so caught up in my studies and grades and such."

"I owe you so many sorrys and I wanted to tell you how bad I felt for the kid being kicked out and—"

"All that isn't necessary, Vance. Honest, I'm passed it all, but thank you."

"Oh," Vance kicked a boot on the ground awkwardly. "Well, do you think maybe we could just talk for a while?"

"I would love that! I could call you over the break or we could just meet up next year."

"I kinda meant now. Before we gotta go."

"I am so sorry, but I have other plans." Gord gave him a quick pat on the shoulder and started walking away. "Really, we can do that some time. I have a feeling we will be great friends again," he called over his shoulder.

Vance watched Gord as he slipped inside the gym building, not catching any heat from the jocks. He'd been friend-zoned once again. "Ouch," he muttered aloud. A breeze blew through and made him shiver some. Maybe he'd be more comfortable back in his leather jacket.

* * *

Bif sat with his back against the wall at the top of the poolside stands. A small crew was working on cleaning out the newly emptied swimming pool. He swore he could still smell burnt grass through the open window. A smaller body lowered down next to him. The tall boxer looked over at Gord and smiled weakly. "You made it."

Gord grinned back. "I said that I would. How have you been holding up?"

"Fine. It's kind of a relief, you know. The guys all know that I'm not from money now, but they're too afraid to say anything about it. Besides, it's not like I'll be back here ever again." Bif had not actually been kicked out of the Harrington House, but Derby had not spoken another word to him.

Gord pouted a little. "Don't say that; you could always visit someday."

"I suppose I could. I mean, the new boxers will do well with some of my tips." He paused and looked at the friend he never realized he appreciated so deeply. "And it'd be nice to see you again too."

"Have you decided on a college yet?"

"No. I may take a year off; I could use a break from school."

"Do you miss him?"

"Yeah, but it's better this way."

The pair shared sad grins, no doubt thinking of the boys they'd never be so close to again. Bif jumped when he felt Gord's hand on top of his on the ground. "We'll be fine," he supplied in a low voice. "Life will be nothing compared to Bullworth."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much to anyone who is reading this! I'm sorry for the extremely long breaks in the story, but we've come to the end now. I'm honored that people have taken some of their time to read this story. Thank you again.


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